


The Immortals

by AlonelyDreamer



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 00:02:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 84,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10730043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlonelyDreamer/pseuds/AlonelyDreamer
Summary: Julie knows nothing about the supernatural until, one night, she gets kidnapped with Elena and learn that she lives in a world where vampires and witches exist. She finds out that she can't be compelled and her life changes then, after a certain Original takes an interest in her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Meeting Elijah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello, bonjour :)  
> Please, note that I am French and that I am still learning English and I still make mistakes like writing groan everywhere instead of growl. I've been trying to fix that but I might have missed some so please don't pay attention to that ^^'  
> Enjoy!  
> Feedback is always appreciated!

Elena Gilbert was heading to her car, leaving a party she didn’t really have fun at. Julie Johnson had no idea why she had come to this party. She had no idea why she had been invited in the first place. She was leaving the party too, following Elena’s footstep without really paying attention to the Gilbert girl. But then, as she was about to get into her car, she saw a figure appear behind Elena. She frowned and gasped when she saw the stranger grab her  
“Elena!” she yelled.  
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a hand on her shoulder and another on her mouth. She tried to get away but she felt pain in her neck right before everything went black.

Two men were parked in an empty field, waiting. When another car parked next to them they got out of the car. One of the two men went over the other vehicle. The driver opened the tainted window a little. He was wearing a cap and sunglasses.  
“Where is she?” he asked.  
“In the trunk,” the man answered.  
“Did you do exactly as I said?”  
The man didn’t answer right away.  
“Well?” the driver was getting impatient.  
“There was a complication,” he said.  
“What complication?”  
“She wasn’t alone. We had to take someone else with us. No witnesses.”  
The driver sighed. “Put them in the car.” He watched in the mirror as the two men put Elena and the other girl in the trunk of his car before they went back to talk to him.  
“Thank you for your help,” he said.  
“Is there anything else?” one of the two men asked.  
“Yes. Remember what I told you to do once you were done?” he asked and they nodded. “You’re done,” he said and one of the men took out a gun and shot his accomplice before he shot himself in the head and the car with the tainted windows drove away.

When Elena woke up, she didn’t know where she was. Her hands and feet were tied with the same rope. She was alone. She heard someone coming and when she looked up she saw a man with a cap and sunglasses climbing down the stairs with an unconscious girl in his arms. She kept silent as she watched the man lay the girl on the same couch she was on.  
“What do you want?” she asked as he removed their ropes but he didn’t answer. “Please, I’m hurt,” she told him.  
“I know,” he said as he leaned closer to her. Veins appeared below his eyes and Elena tried to move away but he was holding her.  
“Trevor! Control yourself!” a woman stopped him.  
He turned to see a woman with short hair just right next to them.  
“Buzz kill,” he told her as he got up from the couch.  
“Who is that?” she asked, pointing at Julie.  
“Complications,” he sighed.  
But the woman was too focus on Elena to care about “complications”. She was staring at her like she knew her and she hadn’t seen her for centuries.  
“What do you want with me?” Elena asked, afraid.  
“My God, you look just like her,” the woman told her as she approached her.  
“But I’m not,” Elena shook her head. “Pease, whatever…”  
“Be quiet.”  
“I’m not Katherine,” she said and got up. “My name is Elena Gilbert, you don’t have to do this!”  
“I know who you are. I said be quiet!”  
Elena frowned. “What do you want?”  
The woman slapped her so hard Elena fell back on the couch. “I want you to be quiet!” she said but she was knocked out.  
When Julie woke up, she saw Elena next to her, unconscious. She quickly sat up and looked around. She had no idea where she was.  
“Elena!” she called the Gilbert girl as she placed a hand on her arm, right below the blood stained and then she shook her. Elena opened her eyes slowly and frowned at the stranger.  
“Who are you? Are you okay?” she asked.  
Julie frowned. “I’m…,” she shook her head and sighed. There was no point in feeling insulted. Elena Gilbert was a popular girl. It didn’t surprise her she had no idea who she was. “I’m Julie… we’re in high school together,” she told her.  
“Oh,” Elena said before she looked down.  
“I’m a year older than you,” Julie shrugged. “Where are we?” she asked. “Are you okay? There is blood on you shirt,” she asked.  
“I’m fine,” Elena told her. “Where are they?”  
She frowned. “Who’s…they?” Julie asked.  
“The vamp…” Elena stopped and Julie raised her eyebrows.  
“Vamp…?”  
“How much do you know?” she said after a moment of hesitation.  
“How much do I know… about this?” she made invisible circles with her hands. Elena nodded. “Elena… I don’t even know what this is. Have we been kidnapped?” she asked.  
Elena didn’t answer. She put her finger on her lips and pointed at the stairs. She signed her to stay quiet and to listen.  
“Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?” the girls heard.  
“Who’s that?” Julie whispered.  
“That’s Trevor. There’s a girl too.”  
“Okay… but who’s Elijah?” she asked and Elena looked up at her and gave her a worried look.  
“I have no idea.”  
Julie looked at Elena for a while before she nodded. “Okay…Question… Are we going to die?” she asked.  
Elena frowned. “What? No!” she violently shook her head.  
Julie breathed out a nervous laugh. “Oh, good,” she said. “But…” she calmed down. “How sure are you…?”  
Elena looked at her with big eyes. She had no idea but she couldn’t tell her that.  
“Come,” she told her and Julie raised her eyebrows.  
“Where are we going?” she followed her up the stairs. Elena put her finger back on her lips to tell her to stay silent. Trevor and the woman were close.  
“Did he or did he not get the message?” Trevor asked again.  
“They say he got it.”  
“Wonderful. And what?”  
“So that’s it, Trevor,” Rose sighed, annoyed. “He either got it or he didn’t. We just have to wait.”  
Elena turned to look at Julie and she waved at her to follow her without a word.  
“It’s not too late. We can leave her. We don’t have to go through with this,” Trevor said. He was obviously scared. Scared of Elijah. Which scared both Elena and Julie.  
“I’m sick of running,” the woman told him.  
“Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying!”  
“Elijah’s old-school. If he accepts our deal, we’re free.”  
Elena stepped on the creaky floor and both the vampires turned at the noise.  
“You!” the woman walked towards them. Julie took one step back. “There’s nothing around here for miles. If you thing you’re getting out, you’re wrong. Understand?” she eyed both Elena and Julie.  
“Who’s Elijah?” Julie’s eyes grew big as Elena dared to ask the question. Rose looked at her like she was going to murder her right on the spot.  
“He’s your worst nightmare,” she replied before she left the room.  
Julie gasped at the answer. “We’re so dead,” she said. Elena looked at Julie then down at the floor.  
“Come,” she sighed and she took Julie’s hand and they left the room.  
“Where are we going?” Julie asked a little afraid.  
“They need us alive, they won’t hurt us,” she answered.  
“Us?” Julie echoed. She didn’t know what Elena had to do with them but she was pretty sure she had nothing to do with any of this.  
They found the woman in a room full of books.  
“Why am I here?” Elena asked.  
The woman was getting annoyed and she sighed.  
“You keep asking me questions like I’m gonna answer them.”  
“Why won’t you?” Elena shrugged.  
Julie was surprised Elena wasn’t afraid.  
“That’s another one,” the woman sighed. Julie frowned when she saw the woman covering a window with a piece of cardboard.  
“You got us, okay? It’s not like we can go anywhere,” Elena said as she stepped into the room. Julie didn’t follow her. What is she? Crazy? Does she want to die? “The least you can do is tell us what you want.”  
“I personally want nothing. I’m just a delivery service.”  
“Delivery to who? Elijah?”  
The woman chuckled. “Two point to the eavesdropper. Can’t you be more like your friend? She’s quieter.”  
“Who is he? Is he a vampire?”  
Julie couldn’t help but chuckle and both Elena and the other woman turned to look at her.  
“He’s one of the vampires. The Originals.”  
Julie frowned and shook her head. Was she hearing right?  
“What do you mean the Originals?”  
“What do you mean vampires?” Julie asked.  
“Doesn’t your friend know? Haven’t the Salvatores been teaching you vampire history? ”  
“Know what? … And we’re not friends… Wait…Salvatores as in… Stefan Salvatore?  
Elena sighed. “He’s a vampire,” she told her. “So you know Stefan and Damon?” she turned back to the woman, completely ignoring the fact that she had just told someone of the existence of vampires.  
“I know of them,” the woman answered as she opened a book. “A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. More of a sucker for the bad boys, though, but I digress.”  
Julie couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  
“Stefan is a hundred years old vampire?” she asked, shocked.  
Elena shook her head and completely ignored her as the woman turned to look at her with an amused look on her face.  
“Who are the Originals?” Elena asked.  
“Vampires don’t exist,” Julie said but nobody was paying attention.  
The woman sighed, closed her book and turned around to face Elena.  
“Trevor and I have been running for 500 years. We’re tired. We want it over. We’re using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess,” she explained.  
Julie was dumbfounded and she was staring at nothing, trying to understand what she was hearing.  
“But why me?” Elena asked.  
The woman sighed again. “Because you’re a Petrova doppelgänger. You’re the key to breaking the curse,” she replied like it made sense.  
Julie was more and more confused. Doppelgänger? Curse?  
“Curse?” Elena too was confused. “The Sun and the Moon curse?”  
“You do know your history,” the woman rolled her eyes.  
“What do you mean, I’m the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse,” Elena said.  
“No. The moonstone is what binds the curse. Sacrifice is what breaks it.”  
“Sacrifice?” Elena repeated.  
“The blood of the doppelgänger. You’re the doppelgänger. Which means, in order to break the curse, you’re the one that has to die.”  
“Oh God…” Julie breathed out. “I’m out of here,” she said and turned around.  
But suddenly Rose was just in front of her. Her face inches from hers. Julie stepped back.  
“You’re not going anywhere,” she said. “I need you to stay right here,” she locked her eyes in Julie’s.  
“Yeah, no thank you,” she said and the woman frowned and pushed her again the wall.  
“If you didn’t know about vampires, how do you know about vervain?” she asked.  
“What? I don’t…” Julie tried to move away but the woman was way too strong. “Let me go!”  
“Why can’t I compel her?” the woman yelled at Elena.  
“I have no idea. I don’t know her!” she replied.  
The woman looked at the terrified girl for a minute then sighed before she let go of her.  
“If you try to run, I will kill you,” she told her and veins started to appear below her eyes.  
“Oh God…” Julie said as she pressed herself into the wall.  
The woman walked back in the room where Elena was but she turned her head to look at Julie, giving her a warning look.  
Julie was trembling. She had a hand on the wall and she was looking down at the floor.  
“Tell me more,” Elena asked as Trevor entered the room.  
“Captivity’s made her pushy, hey,” Trevor said as he took a piece of cardboard. “What do you wanna know doppelicious?”  
“Who are you running from?”  
“The Originals,” he answered.  
“Yeah, she said that. Who are they?”  
“The first family. The Old Wolrd. Rose and I pissed them off.”  
Rose cleared her throat.  
“Correction. I pissed them off. Rose had my back and for over half a millennium, they’ve wanted us dead,” he said and then threw a book at Elena’s feet who stepped back.  
“What did you do?” she asked.  
“He made the same mistakes countless others did. He trusted Katerina Petrova,” Rose told her.  
Who’s that? Julie frowned.  
“Katherine…” Elena said.  
She knows her?  
“The one and only,” she said. “The first Petrova doppelgänger.”  
“And I’ve… sorry, we’ve been marked ever since,” Trevor completed Rose’s explanation.  
“Which is why we’re not gonna make the same mistakes again,” Rose said and then they both left the room.  
Julie walked towards Elena who was thinking.  
“What the fuck?” Julie asked. “Doppelgänger? What… Who the hell are you?” she asked.  
Elena looked up at her. “Stefan and Damon knew Katherine over a hundred years ago,” she started to explain. “She looks exactly like me.”  
“Looks… So she’s… a vampire… too?” Julie asked and Elena nodded.  
“And Stefan is a vampire?”  
“Yes, and Damon, he’s brother, is too.”  
“And Rose and… Trevor?” it took her a second to remember his name.  
“Yes,” Elena said then turned around. Julie followed her in silence.  
Vampires are real. And doppelgängers are… whatever supernatural… stuffs…  
Elena sat back down on the couch were they woke up earlier. There was a paper there.  
“What is it?” Julie asked Elena after she opened it and read its content. Elena placed a finger on her lips to tell her to stay quiet.  
“It’s a message from Bonnie,” she whispered and Julie frowned. “Stefan and Damon are coming for us.”  
“Bonnie? How…”  
“She’s a witch,” Elena told her. It didn’t seem like she wanted to explain more. Julie raised her eyebrows and then she sat down next to Elena. They both stayed silent. Waiting.  
So, vampires were real. And witches. She was having a hard time believing the situation she was in.  
After about an hour of waiting in silence, Rose came down the stairs and started packing. About half an hour after that, Trevor joined them in panic.  
“He’s here. This was a mistake!”  
“No, I told you I would get us out of this. Trust me,” Rose tried to calm him down.  
“No,” he yelled and Julie jumped at the sudden scream. “He wants me dead, Rose!”  
“He wants her more,” she told him.  
Julie was pretty sure she wasn’t going to survive this. She didn’t even know why she was there in the first place.  
I really shouldn’t have gone to this party.  
“I can’t do this,” he said. “I can’t. You give her to him, he’ll have mercy on you! But I need to get out of here!”  
“Hey!” she stopped him and took his hands in hers. “What are we?” she asked.  
He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. “We’re family,” he replied. “Forever.”  
Julie and Elena watched them together. It was almost cute.  
Julie jumped again as they heard someone knocked on the front door. Both the vampires turned towards the exit of the room.  
“You’re scared,” Elena breathed out as she saw Rose look at her.  
“Stay here with them. Don’t make a sound,” she said before she left the room.  
Elena got up and started pacing in front of the couch where Julie stayed immobile. About 10 minutes later Rose came back with a man. Elena turned around as she saw Julie looked up at the stairs. A second after, the man they believed to be Elijah was just in front of her. He was so fast, Julie pressed herself onto the couch as she breathed out a: “Fuck”. Elijah didn’t pay attention to her as he was staring at Elena. He was looking her up and down. Elena stayed straight even though she was trembling from fear. He leaned towards her and smelled her.  
“Human,” he said. “It’s impossible.”  
Elena was scared. Finally! After all she had been scared the entire day of Rose and Trevor. Elena seemed way too calm for the situation.  
Elijah’s eyes landed on Julie who was still trembling on the couch. She had brought her knees to her chest. “Who is this?” he asked.  
“Complications,” Rose said.  
“Uh… Hello there,” he said with a grin and she raised her eyebrows.  
“Uh… hello…” she whispered back. She couldn’t look away from him as he was staring at her like she was dessert.  
“We have a long journey ahead,” he cleared his throat and looked back at Elena. “We should be going,” he said.  
“Please,“ Elena said to Rose. “Don’t let him take me,” she begged.  
“One last piece of business, and we’re done,” Elijah ignored her and he turned around and walked towards Trevor.  
“I’ve waited so long for this day, Elijah,” Trevor managed to say. He was terrified and that scared the hell out of Julie. “I’m truly, very sorry,” he said. He didn’t dare look up at the Original vampire and he was staring at the dirty floor.  
“Oh, no, your apology is not necessary,” Elijah said as he walked around the scared vampire.  
“Yes, yes it is,” Trevor said. “You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you.”  
“Well, yes, you are the guilty one,” Elijah said as he kept walking around, looking down at the floor. “Rose aided you because she was loyal to you. But you… Where was your loyalty?” he stopped in front of the vampire who finally looked up at him.  
“I beg your forgiveness.”  
Rose, Elena and Julie waited with anticipation.  
“So granted,” Elijah told him.  
All of them let out a breath of relief but then gasped as Trevor’s head was rolling on the floor. Julie started to feel sick as she pressed herself more onto the couch wishing she could just disappear in it. Rose started to cry.  
“You…” she said, angry, as she started to climb down the stairs.  
“Don’t Rose…” Elijah calmly told her and she stopped. “Now that you are free,” he reminded her.  
Elijah took one step towards Elena and quickly gave a look to Julie. He saw her staring at the headless body of Trevor. He had terrorized her and he didn’t know why he felt kind of bad for her. He looked up at Elena and held his hand out to her.  
“Come,” he said and she stepped back.  
“No, what about the moonstone,” she quickly said.  
He immediately stopped. “What do you know about the moonstone?” he asked.  
Rose was still crying on the stairs and that’s all Julie could hear.  
“I know that you need it and I know where it is,” she told him.  
“Yes?” he asked her, unimpressed.  
“I can help you get it,” she said.  
“Tell me where it is,” Elijah told her. He wasn’t threatening her. He just told her.  
“It doesn’t work that way,” she told him.  
Elijah raised his eyebrows and sighed a little amused. “Are you negotiating with me?” he asked and turned to look at Rose.  
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it,” she managed to tell him between two sobs.  
Elijah turned back to Elena but then looked at Julie who was still staring at Trevor’s lifeless body.  
“She won’t tell you anything,” Rose told him. “She didn’t even know vampires existed before today. Besides, she can’t be compelled for some reason…”  
Julie looked up as she understood they were talking about her. She saw Elijah was looking at her and he saw the tears in her eyes.  
“She can’t be compelled?” he asked, curious. He sighed again and turned back to Elena. His eyes landed on her necklace. “What is this vervain doing around your neck?” he asked and then ripped it off of her. He forced her to look at him in the eyes. “Tell me where the moonstone is.”  
“In the tomb underneath the church ruins,” Julie saw Elena being “compelled”. She was glad they couldn’t do that to her.  
“What is it doing there?” he asked next.  
“It’s with Katherine,” she told him.  
“Interesting,” he said but then they heard a noise of broken glass coming from upstairs and he let go of her and looked up at the ceiling.  
“What is that?” he asked.  
“I don’t know,” Rose told him.  
“Who else is in this house?” he asked.  
“I don’t know,” Rose repeated a little louder.  
Elijah sighed and took both Julie and Elena by the arm. “Move!”  
They were in the entry of the house and they were about to leave when Elijah stopped. There was someone else with them. Elijah’s grip tighten on Julie’s arm as he threw Elena in Rose’s arms.  
“Rose?” he asked with a threatening tone.  
“I don’t know who it is!” she assured him.  
“Up here,” they heard and in the next second Elijah was up the stairs, leaving Julie in the middle of the room.  
“Down here,” they heard then. Elijah started to climb down the stairs but someone put an arrow in his hand. It looked like it didn’t even hurt him in the slightest as he removed it quickly. When he looked back, the room was empty. Only Rose was lying unconscious on the floor. Stefan had grabbed Elena and Damon had a hand on Julie’s mouth. She was scared, she had no idea who this was. She guessed it was Damon and that he and Stefan had come to help them, like Elena said they would.  
“Excuse-me!” they heard Elijah said. “To whom it may concern, you’re making a grave mistake if you think you can beat me. You can’t. You hear that? I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girls on the count of three. Or heads will roll,” he threatened. “Do we understand each other?” he said.  
“I’ll come with you,” Elena said as she appeared on top of the stairs.” Just, please don’t hurt my friends. They just wanted to help me out,” she told him.  
Elijah quickly climbed the stairs and she gasped as his sudden move.  
“What game are you playing with me?” he asked and she threw a grenade at him. When it explode, he got hurt by the vervain but he quickly healed. He got up and started to slowly walk towards Elena but then, Stefan appeared and started to shoot him. It had no effect on him and so he jumped on the Original vampire and they fell down the stairs. As Elijah was about to kill Stefan, Damon appeared and stabbed the Original vampire in the heart with a huge piece of wood and pinned him on the wall. Elena hugged Stefan as she was relieved Elijah was dead and that her boyfriend was fine.  
“Is she dead?” Julie asked as she entered the room again and saw Rose’s body.  
“No, but he is,” Stefan told her.  
“Who are you?” Damon asked.  
“Julie,” Elena answered for her. “She’s here because of me,” she said.  
“I recognize you from school” he said. “Are you okay?” Stefan asked and she nodded.  
“I just want to go home,” she couldn’t believe she actually wanted to go home to her stepfather but at least, he wasn’t a vampire.  
“We’ll get you home,” Stefan told her and she gave him a shy smile.  
Damon was driving and they stayed silent in the car. Julie was still trying to understand the world she lived in. A world that included vampires, witches and doppelgängers.  
“Hey, Julie!”  
She jumped as Elena placed a hand on her knees to get her attention.  
“What?”  
“Sorry,” she said as she removed her hand. “I didn’t mean to startle you…”  
“We need to know where you live,” Stefan asked her and she looked up at him.  
“Right…” she sighed. She gave them her address and they were there in a few minutes after the long drive. “Thank you,” she told them as she got out of the car.  
“Julie,” Elena stopped her. “I’m sorry for… you know… If you have any questions… don’t hesitate.”  
Julie looked at her for a minute before she nodded and closed the car door. She slowly walked towards her front door. Her stepfather’s car wasn’t there and she was relieved as she couldn’t deal with him right now. She directly got into her bed.  
She thought about Trevor, whose body and head were probably still on the dirty floor of the old house. She wondered if Rose was still lying unconscious and if she wasn’t, what her reaction had been when she saw Elijah dead up on that wall. She fell asleep as she got lost in her thoughts. Pretty certain she will have nightmares for the rest of her life.


	2. Stefan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, note that I am French so there might be some mistakes here and there.

Julie’s phone rang and woke her up at 6am. She was hot and sweating and out of breath. Her entire body was shivering and she knew she had been having a nightmare and she was happy she didn’t remember it. She sat up and took a deep breath and ran a hand through her sticky hair. She sighed and shook her head.  
Vampires, witches… She had a really weird dream last night. God…Please, let it be a dream…  
She pushed the covers away and put her feet on the floor. She sighed again before she got up and went to the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection for a minute. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Elijah take Trevor’s head off in front of her; proving her, she hadn’t dreamed anything. She looked away and rapidly undressed.  
The hot water wasn’t making her feel any better and she stayed too long in the shower. She had a choice: have breakfast or dry her hair. Considering having breakfast meant “chatting” with her stepfather, Julie chose makeup over food.  
She took a purple dress out of her wardrobe. It was short but not too short. She wore black flats and put her school books in the biggest handbag she had. It was white and it fitted just fine.  
She walked down the stairs and heard the TV was on. Which meant her stepfather was up. She cleared her throat but he didn’t hear her or didn’t care to answer. She slowly walked to the kitchen where she took a small bottle of water and put it in her bag. She took an apple and started eating it. She went to the living room where she saw her stepfather was sleeping on the couch. Julie sighed. He must have fallen asleep in front of the TV when he came back from…wherever he went after work, last night. She looked around and saw two, three…six bottle of beers. Robert was still in his suit, his jacket was on the armchair. Julie decided to turn up the sound of the TV to wake him up. She waited to be sure he was awake before she left. She didn’t want him to be mad at her for being late at work.  
She got in her car and turned on the radio. She tried to distract herself from what happened the day before and she played songs from her favorite artists. She parked at the high school and she was a bit early. She liked to be early. If she wasn’t early, if she was on time, she was late.  
She got out of her car and as soon as she closed her door she saw Stefan Salvatore standing in front of her. She gasped and let her car keys fall on the ground.  
“Stefan!” she breathed out.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. He looked sincere. She took a deep breath as he picked up her keys. She gave him a small smile when he handed them to her.  
“Thanks.”  
“No problem,” he smiled back at her. “How are you doing?”  
“Well…” Julie cleared her throat. “You’re a vampire,” she said and he chuckled.  
“And how do you feel about it?” he asked and Julie laughed, nervously.  
“You wanna be my shrink?” Stefan laughed and looked down, amused.  
“I just want to make sure that you’re okay,” he said. “This can’t be easy.”  
“It’s not,” Julie nodded. “But…it just makes the world more interesting,” she shrugged.  
Stefan laughed again. “That’s one way to see it,” he said.  
“What’s the other way?”  
“Scarier?” he shrugged.  
Julie chuckled. “Oh, no…it’s definitely scarier,” they laughed.  
“I’m glad you’re doing okay,” he said. “If you have any question, don’t hesitate.”  
“Thanks.”  
Julie thanked him because that was the polite thing to do, but she did actually have questions. She had a lot of questions. But one seemed more important. She wanted to know why she couldn’t be compelled. But she was too scared to ask. She was too scared to know the answer.  
“I’m sorry you got caught into this mess,” he said.  
“Not your fault,” Julie told him. Then, she looked around. “Where’s your girlfriend?” she asked.  
“Elena stayed at home today, she wasn’t feeling well.”  
“I see…” she nodded. After what happened the day before, maybe she should’ve stayed home too.  
“But she’s fine,” Stefan quickly added. “Are you?” He looked concern. Julie raised he eyebrows and then chuckled.  
“Yeah…could be worse,” she said. “I could be dead,” she tried to keep an amused tone but, in reality, she was scared. She was talking to a vampire and maybe she should be scared of him too. “So…you eat people,” she said and Stefan raised his eyebrows and then laughed.  
“I don’t,” he said. “I don’t kill.”  
“Oh,” Julie breathed out a laugh. “Good.”  
“You don’t have to be scared of me,” he told her.  
“You saved my life yesterday,” she said. “That kind of makes you a good guy.”  
Stefan chuckled. “Thank you,” he smiled. “Come on, we’ll be late for class.”  
They both walked in the school and she stopped at her locker and didn’t follow Stefan after that. He was talking to Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett and Elena’s brother, Jeremy and Julie didn’t want to meet any of them. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were that popular group of friends that, not only didn’t know her name, but they didn’t even know of her existence. Julie never hated them but she never liked them either. Besides, getting to know them now probably meant getting involved in whatever mess they were in and Julie didn’t want any part of it.  
After school, where nothing happened, Julie saw Caroline and Stefan leaving together. She didn’t really pay attention to it and drove home. Her stepfather wasn’t there so she decided to settle in the kitchen and do her homework.  
It was passed seven when she cooked dinner and figured out Robert must have been in some bar, getting drunk, as usual. She liked it this way. If he wasn’t home, he couldn’t yell at her. She cleaned and took a shower and then settled in her bed with her notebook and started to draw. She drew the only thing she could see. She drew Trevor’s headless body lying in the dust.  
She fell asleep with her notebook in her bed and the light of the sun woke her up in the early morning. She had a nightmare, again. And again, she couldn’t remember it. She only remembered that Elijah was in it. She did as usual, she took a shower, got dressed, ate a fruit and made sure Robert was awake before she left the house. But when she opened the door she met with someone she thought dead. Her heart skipped a beat and she gasped. She wanted to step back but she was too afraid to move.  
“You?” she breathed out.  
“Hello, Julie,” Elijah said. He didn’t sound threatening. He didn’t look threatening. But then, Julie remembered Trevor’s head rolling on the floor and she rapidly tried to close the door but he stopped her. “I see the owner of this house is dead. I’m sorry for your loss.” Julie frowned and took a step back as he stepped in the house. He looked around before he looked down at her. “I’m Elijah,” he said. “But I see you remember me.”  
“It’s hard to forget the person who cut the head off someone else in front of you,” Julie answered with a trembling voice. She didn’t know where she got the courage to speak and was surprised she actually said it.  
“I apologize for that,” he said and he sounded sincere. “Please, don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you.”  
“What do you want?” Julie asked in a whisper.  
“I need you to get a message to your friend,” he said. Julie frowned and shook her head, confused.  
“What friend?”  
“The doppelganger,” he merely said.  
“You mean Elena? She’s not my friend,” she told him. Elijah was now confused too.  
“She’s not? You got into some trouble because of her,” he said. “Anyway,” he sighed. “Just tell her and the Salvatores not to do anything stupid.”  
“Wh…” Julie shook her head, confused. “What does that mean?” she asked.  
“Just tell them, please,” he wasn’t asking, he was ordering.  
“Why me? I don’t know them,” Elijah looked down at her but stayed silent. He sighed and took one step towards her. He slowly approached his hand to her face and she looked at him with big eyes, trembling and scared of what he was going to do. When his hand touched her cheek she closed her eyes out of fear and waited for something, anything, pain, just like she would wait for her stepfather to hit her, but he didn’t hit her. He stroke her cheek with his knuckles and then, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.  
“I’ll be around,” he said and when she opened her eyes, he was gone.  
She stood there, dumbfounded and terrified. Her heart was beating so fast even she could hear it.  
“What just happened?” she breathed out.  
“You’re talking to me?” Julie gasped and jumped and quickly turned around to see Robert standing in the kitchen. “Aren’t you gonna be late for school?”  
“Yeah,” Julie cleared her throat. “I was just leaving,” she told him.  
“Have a nice day,” he told her before he walked back in the kitchen. He was actually in a good mood.  
“You too,” Julie said before she stepped out of the house. She looked around to see if Elijah was still around but she didn’t see him and she got into her car. She sat there for about 5 minutes, trying to catch her breath. She thought about what Elijah did and how strange his behavior was. Why would he be nice to her? Why would he even talk to her? She had nothing to do with Elena and she didn’t want to get involved in her drama. Now, she didn’t have a choice.


	3. Elena

Julie was sitting in her car. She was still upset about Elijah’s visit and she hadn’t moved for a few minutes. She could still feel his gentle touch on her cheek. She had been scared, for sure, but she wondered why he came to her, why he wanted her to give the message. She wasn’t friends with any of them. She had nothing to do at all with their problems.  
So maybe he wanted her involved. Maybe…  
Julie sighed, confused and annoyed with herself. She took a deep breath and finally started the car. She wasn’t paying much attention on the road but luckily she made it to the school safe. She tried to find Stefan but she couldn’t find him near the school. She looked around and saw Bonnie with a student she had never seen before. They were joined by Jeremy and she watched the new guy walk away from them which meant she had no excuse now and she had to go talk to them.  
“Bonnie?” she said with a small voice and then cleared her throat.  
“Oh! You’re Julie, right? Bonnie asked.  
Julie looked up at Jeremy and gave him a polite smile.  
“Yeah…” she nodded. “I have something…uh…important, to tell you,” she said. She sounded scared and both Bonnie and Jeremy noticed her behavior. He frowned but Bonnie’s phone rang and interrupted them.  
“Who is it?” Jeremy asked when he saw her frowned.  
“It’s Damon…” she sounded surprised. “We need to leave, now.”  
“What is it you wanted to say?” the Gilbert boy asked Julie.  
“It’s about Elijah…”  
“Don’t worry about him, Julie, he’s dead,” Bonnie tried to reassure her.  
“No, he’s not. He was at my house 20 minutes ago. He wants me to give a message to Elena.”  
“What?!” they both shouted which made Julie jump.  
“He said not to do anything stupid and that he’d be around,” the last part was probably more something he just told her than an actual threat.  
“Come with us,” Bonnie said, taking her hand and dragging her to her car.  
“Wh…where?”  
“We need to tell Damon,” she said.  
“But…can’t you tell him?”  
“He’ll want to hear it from you,” Jeremy said, opening the door.  
“Look, I don’t want to get involved in this,” Julie said. “You can tell him.” She was ready to walk away but Bonnie stopped her.  
“Elijah was at your house,” she said. “He knows who you are and now he knows where you live. You’re gonna need protection.”  
“You’re already involved,” Jeremy told her.  
Julie looked at the two people that were trying to scare her into their mess.  
“Look,” Bonnie sighed and took one step towards her. “We know this isn’t easy. But you’re not safe.”  
Julie sighed. She really didn’t want to get into that car. “No,” she said and walked away from them.  
Julie couldn’t concentrate in any of her classes. When her day was over she went to the Mystic Grill because she was too scared to go home. She felt better in public, safer. She did her homework and stayed as late as she could but when night came she had no choice but to go home. She had to cook dinner for Robert, even though he probably wasn’t going to be home to eat it. She drove home and was relieved when she didn’t see Elijah anywhere around. Which was really a paranoid way to think. For sure, he had better things to do, and if he wanted her dead, she would be dead already. She cleaned, took a shower and cooked dinner. She left her stepfather some leftovers in the fridge and went to bed.  
She spent a horrible night. She was too scared to be relaxed enough to fall asleep but when she finally did, nightmares kept waking her up. When morning came, she was exhausted. She thought a cold shower would wake her up. When she was ready to leave, she stopped in front of the door, too scared to open it. She took a deep breath and slowly turned the handle and was relieved when she saw nobody was standing behind the door. She stepped out and let out a nervous laugh, she was feeling silly.  
“Julie!”  
Julie screamed so loud probably the entire street heard her. She gasped and her bag fell on the ground.  
“Bonnie, damn it!” she shouted when she saw the witch standing next to her car.  
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I just wanted to see if you were okay…”  
“So your idea was to give me heart attack?!”  
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “It’s just…” she sighed.  
“What?”  
Bonnie sighed. “Elena did something stupid yesterday,” she said. “I just thought maybe Elijah wouldn’t be happy about it…”  
“I didn’t see him.”  
“Okay…good.”  
Julie sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she apologized. “You startled me…”  
“I understand, it’s okay,” she said. “You need protection from Elijah, Julie. He’s dangerous, you can’t stay alone, you need fr…” she stopped.  
“What? Friends?” Julie finished the witch’s sentence. “I think it’s clear you can’t protect me from Elijah,” she said. “And I don’t have friends,” she muttered, walking towards her car.  
“Julie,” Bonnie sighed. “You really can’t stay alone,” she insisted.  
“Why do you care?” Julie asked. She wasn’t angry or anything. She was truly curious why Bonnie was here. “I am alone anyway, so what can you do?”  
“I can be your friend,” she answered. She took a few steps towards Julie and crossed her arms over her chest. Julie chuckled.  
“Right, we’ve been in the same school for years and three days ago you didn’t even know I existed.”  
Bonnie frowned. “That’s not true.” Julie raised an eyebrow and imitated the witch and crossed her arms.  
“Really?” she said, doubtful.  
“Your name’s Julie Johnson, you moved here 6 years ago with your mother and stepfather, you’re smart, your favorite class is history, you paint, you like to read and you got better fashion sense than Caroline.”  
Julie was surprised by all the things Bonnie knew about her. “How do you know all that?”  
“Unlike what you think, I care,” she answered with a smile. “And even though you’re right, I can’t do anything to protect you from Elijah, you’ll still be safer with me than on your own.”  
Julie looked at Bonnie for a minute in silence. Being friends with Bonnie, being friends with a witch, that was scary. Because that meant getting involved in their drama. With vampires. And maybe she was wrong. Maybe she’d be safer away from all that.  
“I don’t mean to be rude or anything,” Julie said. “But I really don’t want to get involved.” She opened the car door and throw her bag on the passenger seat.  
“Elena mentioned you couldn’t be compelled,” Bonnie said. Julie had trouble to get the point.  
“So? That’s a good thing, from what I understand.”  
“It also means you’re not human,” Bonnie said. “Witches can’t be compelled.”  
Julie raised her eyebrows and laughed. “What? Now I’m a witch?” This was getting ridiculous. “I’m not a witch, okay. I’m human.”  
“If you’re not a witch then I don’t know why you can’t be compelled.”  
“Who cares why?” Julie asked.  
“Werewolves exist.”  
“What now?” Julie was confused. Though she really shouldn’t be surprised that werewolves existed.  
“I’m not saying you’re a werewolf. From what I know, they can be compelled. But aren’t you interested to know what you are?” Bonnie seemed more interested than she was.  
“I know what I am, Bonnie. I’m human. I’m not a witch, I’m not a werewolf and I’m not a fairy either.”  
Bonnie gave her a funny look. “Fairies don’t exist.”  
“What do I know?” Julie threw her hands in the air. “Look, Bonnie,” she sighed. “You seem nice. And you look like you actually care about my safety. But I wasn’t involved in Elena’s mess and I still got kidnapped by two 500 years old vampires anyway. I don’t want that to ever happen again.”  
“I understand,” Bonnie nodded. “But you said it yourself. You weren’t even involved you got hurt anyway.” She really wouldn’t let this go. “The advantage of having friends is they will know if something’s wrong. And next time you get kidnap, somebody will notice.”  
“Next time?” Julie echoed. “Do you guys get kidnap a lot?” she joked.  
Bonnie laughed. “It happens,” she answered. “Plus, I’m a witch. Are you really saying no to having a witch friend?”  
Julie laughed and then sighed. “I guess not.”  
“Great!” Bonnie squeezed. She hugged Julie who was surprised by her behavior but she hugged her back anyway. “I’ll see you at school!”  
Julie watched Bonnie walk away and get into her car. She sighed and then chuckled before she got into her own car and drove to school.  
When she arrived at the school, Bonnie was waiting for her.  
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Caroline,” she said.  
That’s gonna be fun…  
The blonde was at her locker with Tyler Lockwood. She was spending a lot of time with him, lately.  
“Caroline!” Bonnie called her friend. She turned her head to see Bonnie and Julie walk towards her. Tyler was gone by the time they reached the blonde’s locker.  
“Care, this is Julie.”  
“Nice to meet you,” Julie smiled politely.  
“Hi, yeah I recognize you, I love your dress!” she said, looking her up and down.  
“Th…Thanks…”  
“Oh wait, you’re the girl that got kidnapped with Elena!” she remembered.  
“Yope, that’s me,” she nodded.  
“Oh my God, are you okay?” She looked really worried.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”  
Caroline sighed, relieved. “God, I can’t imagine for you to find out vampires exist like that…”  
She shrugged. “How did you find out?”  
“You don’t know?” Bonnie asked.  
“No,” Julie shook her head. “Did you get kidnap too?” she tried to joke.  
“No,” the blonde told her. “I got killed.”  
“What?” Julie lost her smile.  
“Caroline’s a vampire,” Bonnie told her.  
“What?” Julie repeated in a loud whisper.  
“Yes, Katherine turned me,” Caroline said, her voice full of hate.  
“You do know who Katherine is, right?” Bonnie asked.  
“Yeah, she’s Elena’s doppelganger,” she nodded  
“She’s also a psycho bitch,” Caroline added.  
“I’m starting to get that,” Julie replied.  
“So,” Caroline sighed. “Is Elena trapped?” she asked.  
“Yes, it’s done,” Bonnie nodded.  
“What are you talking about?” Julie asked, confused.  
“Elena’s stupid thing she did yesterday was going on a suicide mission,” Bonnie told her.  
“She thinks getting killed will make us safe,” Caroline rolled her eyes.  
“But we’re not going to let that happen,” Bonnie said. “That’s what friends are for,” she smiled at Julie. “So I used a spell and trapped her in her house.”  
“I see,” Julie said. Maybe being friend with a witch wasn’t such a good idea after all. “So you’re going to see her after school?”  
“No,” Bonnie sighed. “I have some important witch stuff to do.”  
“Yeah, and I… have plans,” Caroline said. Julie frowned. That was awfully vague.  
“Hey!” Bonnie said like she had just had an idea. “You could go!”  
“Excuse-me?” Julie was confused.  
“You could go,” she repeated. “She’ll be bored and I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”  
“Why would she be happy to see me?” Julie asked.  
Caroline chuckled. “Elena’s worried about you. She kept asking to make sure you were fine.”  
Julie was surprised to hear that. Now she had to go and make sure Elena was okay. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to get to know her and…make friends.  
“Sure, I’ll stop by and say hello.”  
“Great!” Bonnie smiled, happy.  
“I’m gonna be late for class,” Julie told them. “See you later.”  
“Bye, Julie,” Bonnie smiled.  
“It was nice meeting you!” Caroline said.  
Julie didn’t see Caroline or Bonnie after that. After school, she drove directly to Elena’s house. She didn’t find it right away and actually got lost before she found her way and parked in front of the Gilberts house. She knocked, timid, and Elena’s aunt, Jenna, opened.  
“Hi,” she smiled. “Can I help you?”  
“Hi, yeah,” Julie cleared her throat. “I’m Julie. Elena’s…friend. Is she here?” Of course she was here, she was trapped inside.  
“Oh, yes. I remember you,” Jenna said. “We’ve met before.”  
“Yes, it was a few years ago,” Julie nodded. She didn’t want to talk about it.  
“Julie?”  
They were interrupted by Elena who was walking down the stairs.  
“Hi,” Julie waved at her. “Bonnie told me you were…” she stopped and looked at Jenna. How much did she know? “That you were here,” she cleared her throat. “I thought you might want some company.”  
Elena nodded and smiled. “Sure, come on in.” Jenna moved to let her in and then closed the door.  
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything,” she said.  
“We’ll be in my room,” Elena told her. “I’m happy to see you,” she told Julie. “It’s so nice of you to come.”  
“Well, I thought you might be bored,” she shrugged.  
“Yeah, it’s not much fun being stuck here,” she complained.  
“Stefan couldn’t be here?” Julie found it strange her boyfriend wasn’t keeping her company.  
“Oh, you don’t know,” Elena said with a sad face.  
“Know what?”  
Elena sighed. “Stefan is…stuck in a tomb with Katherine.”  
“What? What tomb?”  
“It’s a long story,” she sighed. “Come on.”  
They got to her bedroom and they sat on the bed.  
“I heard Elijah came by your house yesterday.”  
“Yeah…” Julie sighed.  
“You must have been scared. I’m sorry he threatened you.”  
“He didn’t threaten me,” Julie told her.  
“He didn’t?” Elena frowned.  
“No,” she shook her head. “He said not to be scared. That he wasn’t going to hurt me…He…”  
“What?” Elena encouraged her to talk. Julie sighed.  
“He was…nice,” she looked up at Elena who seemed surprised.  
“Elijah saved my life yesterday,” she said and now it was Julie who was surprised.  
“Bonnie mentioned you went on a suicide mission.”  
“I called Klaus’ men and Elijah killed them,” she explained. “I just don’t get it!” she said. “I thought…”  
“He wanted to sacrifice you?” she finished her thought. “Me too…”  
“I don’t get it,” she repeated. “So that’s why I’m stuck in here,” she sighed.  
“Well…You did do a very stupid thing yesterday.”  
Elena chuckled.   
“Who’s Klaus, anyway?” Julie asked.  
“He’s like Elijah,” she answered. “He’s very old and he can’t be killed.”  
“And he wants you…”  
“Yes,” Elena looked down. “And he’ll kill everyone I care about if he doesn’t get me.”  
“That’s why you tried to surrender.”  
“Yes.”  
“I understand why you did it,” Julie told her.  
“You do?” Elena sounded surprised. “Everyone was mad at me.”  
“That’s because they love you. They don’t want to lose you.”  
“That’s why they trapped me in here,” she sighed. “Thanks for coming,” she smiled. Julie smiled back and then shivered.  
“Are you cold?” Elena asked.  
“No,” Julie answered. “Weird…”  
“Come on, I’ll make some tea,” Elena said, getting up.  
They walked down the stairs and Jenna was blocking the way to the kitchen. She was looking in the cupboard under the stairs.  
“Hey, what are you doing?” Elena asked her aunt. Jenna looked up and smiled when she saw the girls.  
“Hey, perfect timing!” she said, placing a box in Elena’s arms.  
“Wow,” Elena said when she realized the box was heavy. “What is this stuff?” she asked.  
“Your mom’s files from the historical society,” she answered. “I got roped in to helping Mrs. Lockwood,” she told them. “And by roped I mean I’m very excited to participate,” she said, sarcastic. She closed the cupboard and Julie and Elena gasped when they saw who was standing behind it.  
“Hey. I’m Elijah,” he said with a smile.  
“Elijah’s in town doing research on Mystic Falls,” Jenna explained, taking the box from Elena.  
Elijah was only looking at Julie when he took a few steps towards the girls.  
“It’s a pleasure,” he said, handing his hand out for Elena but his eyes were still on Julie. Elena hesitated but finally shook Elijah’s hand.  
“So, you know, you’re welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff,” Jenna said. Julie could feel Elijah’s gaze on her and she blushed, looked down and got closer behind Elena. “Or, Elena, Julie and I could help you load it into your car,” she said. Elijah finally moved his eyes from Julie and looked up at Jenna who was talking to him.  
“Yeah, or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow.”  
“Also a good plan,” Jenna said.  
“Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna,” he said, walking pass Elena and Julie. He laid his eyes once again on Julie and this time she looked up. She watched him too, and their eyes met for a few seconds. She quickly looked down. She was blushing even more than before. She hoped nobody would notice but Elijah’s grin showed her he did. “Elena, Julie…” he started to say and they turned around. “I hope to see you again sometime soon,” he said. His eyes were once again on the confused girl who didn’t look away this time. She looked him in the eyes and maybe that’s why he didn’t leave right away. He paused and then turned around. “Thanks for your help, Jenna.”  
“Anytime,” she answered, closing the door.  
Elena took Julie by the arm and dragged her upstairs. She rushed at her brother’s door and knocked hard. But when she was about to open the door, a hand stopped her. She jumped, scared and Julie gasped at the sudden appearance of Elijah. Elena took a step back and she bumped into Julie, who was behind her. Elijah slowly placed a finger on his lips, silently asking them not to say anything.  
“What is it?” Jeremy asked after he opened the door.  
“Uh…” Elena was trying to find a good excuse. “Jenna was just asking me to get you to help with the boxes,” she said. Jeremy looked at Julie who politely smiled at him, hoping her face wasn’t betraying how she really felt.  
“Uh, yeah,” he nodded and walked down the stairs.  
“That’s a wise choice,” Elijah said.  
“What do you want?” Elena asked, taking Julie’s hand.  
“I think it’s time you and I have a little chat,” he answered. He walked pass the girls and entered Elena’s room. Julie gave a worried look to Elena who squeezed her hand before she dragged her in her bedroom.  
“Sorry for the intrusion,” Elijah said after Elena closed the door. He was looking around the room. “I mean your family no harm.”  
“Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?” she asked. Julie stayed close to Elena even though she was surprised Elena had the courage to speak up.  
“Because I didn’t want you to be taken,” he answered, sitting down on the window seat. Julie frowned and Elena gave him a puzzled look. He smiled, amused by her confusion. Elijah’s eyes fell on Julie for a few seconds before he looked away. “Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals but those that fear him are desperate of his approval. Word gets out the doppelgänger exists there’ll be vampires eager to take you to him, and I can’t have that,” he shrugged and then looked up at Elena.  
“Isn’t that exactly what you’re trying to do?” Elena asked.  
“Let’s just say that my goal is not to break the curse,” he answered, which surprised both girls.  
“So what is your goal?” Elena asked.  
“Klaus’ obsessions have made him paranoid,” he explained. “He’s a recluse. He trusts only those in his circle.”  
“Like you?” Elena asked.  
“Not anymore,” Elijah shook his head. He looked calm and not threatening which should reassure Julie but it didn’t.  
“You don’t know where he is, do you?” Elena asked and Julie looked up at her. How could she keep asking questions like that? Like she wasn’t afraid of him? Elijah didn’t answer but from the expression on his face Julie understood Elena had guessed it right. “So you’re trying to use me to draw him out,” Elena sighed.  
“Well, to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed,” he told her with an amused smile. Julie failed to see what was so funny.  
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Elena asked.  
“If I wasn’t truthful, your family would be dead and I’d be taking you to Klaus right now,” he answered. “Instead, I’m here to offer you a deal.” Julie frowned. She looked away when she saw Elijah was once again looking at her. What was his problem?  
“What kind of deal?” Elena, asked, confused.  
“Do nothing,” Elijah answered, getting up. “Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting…” he said, looking around Elena’s stuff. “And when the time is right, you and I shall draw Klaus out,” he said, turning around to face Elena. “And I’ll make certain your friends remain unharmed,” he said, looking straight at Julie.  
“And then what?” Elena asked.  
“Then I kill him,” he merely said.  
“Just like that?” Elena asked.  
“Just like that,” he nodded. “I’m a man of my word, Elena,” he said when he saw she was hesitating. “I make a deal, I keep a deal.”  
“How are you gonna keep everybody safe?” she asked.  
“You know, I notice you have a friend, Bonnie, is it?” he said. “She seems to possess the gift of magic. I have friends with similar gifts.”  
“You know witches,” Elena said, crossing her arms over her chest.  
“And together, we can protect everybody that matters to you.”  
Elena looked up at his words, still undecided. He took a few steps towards Elena and Julie got closer to her.  
“So do we have a deal?” he asked.  
Elena stayed silent for a few seconds before she realized she could actually get something from this situation. “I need you to do one more thing for me.”  
Elijah raised his eyebrows and had an amused look on his face. “We’re negotiating now?”  
“Stefan’s stuck in the tomb with Katherine. You get him out and we have a deal,” she said. Julie couldn’t believe she was actually bargaining with him. She was way too scared to say anything but Elena seemed so confident, it calmed her down a little.  
“Very well. I assume you would rather Katerina stay in the tomb?”  
“That would be preferable,” she nodded.  
“I agree.” He gave another quick look at Julie before he sighed. “Your friend will be free by tonight.”  
Elena took a deep breath, relieved. “Thank you.”  
Elijah looked at Julie again. He saw she was still scared of him but she didn’t look away. She looked at him, curious to why he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Her gaze suddenly bothered him, for a reason he ignored. Maybe it was the fear in her eyes that made him uneasy.  
“I will take care of it, now,” he said before he left the room.  
Once Elena and Julie were alone, the Gilbert girl turned towards her new friend and asked:  
“Why is he so interested in you?”  
“I have no idea…” Julie shook her head. “It’s creeping me out.”  
“Maybe he’s curious about you,” she shrugged.  
“Why would he be?” Julie was confused.  
“Because you can’t be compelled,” Elena reminded her.  
“What’s the big deal with that?” Julie sighed.  
“It’s unusual,” Elena told her.  
“So what? Is something wrong with me?” she worried.  
“No,” Elena quickly answered. She didn’t mean to scare her. “It’s just…”  
“Unusual…” Julie repeated.  
“We’ll figure it out, I’m sure,” Elena said. “Maybe he already knows.”  
“You think Elijah knows why I can’t be compelled?” Julie wondered. “Maybe that’s why he kept looking at me…”  
“We’ll ask him, next time,” Elena told her.  
“I’m not sure I want to see him again,” Julie joked.  
“He won’t hurt you,” she said. “He promised.”  
“I know,” Julie nodded. “Sill…he…”  
“You’re afraid of him,” Elena finished her sentence.  
“I…” Julie was scared of Elijah, for sure, but that wasn’t all. “He just keeps looking at me.”  
“You’re pretty,” Elena shrugged. Julie’s eyes grew big and then she laughed.  
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.”  
“It could be,” she played along.  
“Right,” she chuckled. “Anyway…” she sighed. “Are you gonna be okay?”  
“Stefan will be here soon,” Elena said. “I’ll be fine.”  
“I was talking about the “we’ll draw Klaus out” part of the deal.”  
“Oh,” Elena said. “Well, it’s a good plan.”  
“It’s a scary plan.”  
“Welcome to my life,” Elena sighed. “But I’ll be fine.”  
“Okay,” Julie smiled. “I don’t know how you do this…”  
“I have friends that love me,” she smiled back. “They help a lot. How are you dealing with it?”  
“Not good,” Julie admitted. “But I’ll be fine.”  
“Well,” Elena sighed. “You know where to find me if you have any questions.”  
Julie laughed. “You’re not going to be stuck here for much longer. With Elijah’s deal, I’m sure Bonnie will let you out soon.”  
“Please, yes,” she laughed.  
“I should go,” Julie said. “It’s getting late.”  
“Of course, thanks for coming,” Elena said, hugging her. “And be careful, out there, it’s the full moon.”  
“What now?”  
“The full moon,” Elena repeated, but then she realized she might not know what she was talking about. “Just stay home tonight,” she chuckled.  
“I will,” Julie said, giving her a funny look. They laughed and Julie hugged Elena again before she left her house.  
When Julie parked in the driveway, she was happy to see her stepfather’s car wasn’t there. She grabbed an apple from the kitchen and then took a shower. She got into bed with her notebook but all she did was stare at the blank page for half an hour before she threw it away. She took her cellphone and her headphones and she fell asleep, listening to music.


	4. Elijah

Sunshine woke Julie up very early. Music was still playing and she removed her headphones and pushed the covers away. She was sweating and out of breath. She had a nightmare. Again. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She looked around and sighed again. She was exhausted. She stared at nothing for a few minutes and then sighed, again. She could go back to sleep but she was too afraid of having another nightmare. She finally got up and walked in the bathroom. She didn’t even look in the mirror, she took her clothes off and got into the shower. She tried to remember her nightmare but all she could remember was fear. She shivered but she wasn’t cold. She thought maybe the water was too cold so she adjusted the temperature. She found it too hot but she kept shivering anyway. She washed her hair and shaved before she got out. She wrapped a white towel around her wet body and walked back in her bedroom. She opened her wardrobe and stared at her clothes. She took a black skirt and a white sweetheart neckline shirt out. She laid her clothes on her bed and walked back in the bathroom to dry her hair. When she was done, she got dressed and put make up on. She checked her bag to make sure she had everything she needed for the day. She made her bed and picked up the notebook from the floor and put it in her bag. She walked down the stairs and heard the TV was on. She took a look in the living room and saw Robert was sleeping on the couch, once again. She sighed and turned the TV off. She went to the kitchen and started cooking pancakes. She heard Robert waking up and hoped pancakes will put him in a good mood.  
“Hey,” he growled, running a hand over his face.  
“Good morning. I’m making pancakes.”  
“I need to take a shower,” he said. “Clean this mess,” he told her, mentioning the mess he made in the living room last night.  
Julie cleaned the bottles of beer that were everywhere in the living room and when she was done, Robert was in the kitchen, eating the pancakes. She sat at the counter across her stepfather and started eating pancakes in silence.  
“I’m dating someone,” he said.  
Julie looked up at Robert. She was speechless. “What?” she breathed out.  
“I just wanted you to know because your birthday’s coming up and as soon as you get your mother’s money I can move out and I’ll never have to see you again.” He wasn’t even looking at her.   
“Okay,” Julie said in a whisper. She always knew he only stayed because she was a minor and he had to. But he never liked her. He ignored her completely when her mother was alive and when she passed away and he actually had to acknowledge her existence she found out he was meaner than she thought and also a violent drunk. The fact that her mother left her everything she possessed, including her great family fortune, angered him even more. She had no intention of staying in the same house as him after her 18th birthday so this was actually good news. “I’m gonna be late for school,” she said before she got up, grabbed her handbag and left the house.  
Julie had forgotten there was an event at the school and she wanted no part of it. She drove away and went to the park where she sat on the grass, against a tree and took out her notebook. She started to draw what was around her; the benches, the trees, the people… But when a shadow came blocking the light she looked up and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Elijah was standing there. She quickly got up, pushing her back against the tree.  
“Hello, Julie,” he said with a smile. “Please, don’t be scared.” He didn’t sound or look threatening. Julie cleared her throat and nodded.  
“Hello…” she replied with a trembling voice.  
“How are you?” he asked. Julie blinked several time. Did he actually care about her well-being?  
“I’m…fine,” she told him. He nodded. His eyes fell on her notebook she had in her hand and he took it from her.   
“You are quite talented,” he said, after he browsed through it.  
“…Thank you?”   
He chuckled and hand the notebook back to her. She looked at Elijah with big eyes for a few seconds and then took it back from him.  
“You’re afraid of me,” he sighed.  
“Why are you here?” she was surprised she dared to ask.  
“I saw you there,” he shrugged.  
“What do you want?” she asked in a whisper, she couldn’t speak any louder.  
“I just wanted to say hello.”  
Julie was confused. “Why?”  
Elijah opened his mouth but then closed it without saying a word. Julie was waiting for an answer but it seemed like he didn’t know what to say.  
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to scare you. I will leave you, then,” he said before he turned around.   
“Wait!” Julie stopped him. She had no idea where she took the courage to do it. Elijah turned around, surprised. “I…” she cleared her throat. “Witches can’t be compelled,” she said. Elijah frowned. He looked confused.  
“I know.”  
“I mean…I can’t be compelled, and I’m not a witch.”  
“I see…”  
“I thought…maybe…you…”  
“If you don’t know what you are, I’m afraid I won’t be of any help,” he said, he actually looked sincere.  
“Oh…” Julie looked down, disappointed. She was pretty sure she was human. She had no superpower or supernatural abilities. Her parents didn’t either. So what was it that made her so special she couldn’t be compelled?  
“I’m sorry,” he apologized.  
“No, I…” she shook her head. He had no idea what she could be so she had no idea why he was so interested in her. Maybe he wasn’t. Maybe she was imagining things.  
“Werewolves can’t be compelled either,” he told her.  
“I’m not a werewolf,” she said.  
“Are you sure?” he asked with an amused tone.  
“I’m pretty sure,” she chuckled. “And Bonnie said werewolves can be compelled…”   
“She was wrong.”  
“Are they…any werewolves, in Mystic Falls?” she asked.  
Elijah smiled, looked down and took one step. He had his hands in his pockets. He sighed and looked back at Julie. “Two, today,” he nodded. “One just arrived.” Julie took a deep breath. This town was crazy. “Does that scare you?” he asked.  
“A little,” she admitted.  
Elijah didn’t understand why he was so fascinated by Julie. He really didn’t need her to deliver the message the other day, it was just a nice excuse to pay her a visit at her house. Even though he didn’t expect to see her in the park today, he could have left without stopping to talk to her. And he should leave. Now.  
“What do you know about werewolves?” he asked.  
“Absolutely nothing,” she said. Which is why it was terrifying.  
“And what do you know about vampires?”  
“Not much...” she answered.  
“I see…Perhaps you would be less scared if you knew a little bit more.”  
“Or maybe it’ll just be scarier,” she replied. He could see she was afraid. He wondered if he only made it worse.  
“Aren’t you curious? You must have questions.”  
Questions? Of course she had questions. She had plenty of questions. “I…I do…It’s just…” she sighed. “I’m scared.”  
“Of me?” he asked and she looked up at him and her gaze met his. She didn’t look away and they kept looking at each other without a word. She saw hope in his eyes and maybe a little fear. But at this instant, she wasn’t afraid of him. At this moment, she got lost in his dark brown eyes and she felt safe.  
“No,” she said so low only a vampire could have heard her. He seemed both surprised and pleased with her answer. “I don’t know,” she whispered, looking down. “I don’t know anything,” she sighed and placed a hand on her temple.  
“You look tired,” he frowned.  
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m exhausted.”  
“Why?”  
Julie chuckled. “That’s what happen when humans don’t get sleep,” she answered and he laughed.  
“Vampires need to sleep, too,” he told her, amused.  
“I did not know that,” she replied with a smile.  
“You should get some rest.”  
“I’m fine,” she said, a little colder than she intended to. She was curious why he would care about her health. The more she talked to him the more questions she had.  
“Would coffee help?” he asked.  
“Uh,” she blinked several time. “It would,” she nodded. “But I hate coffee.”  
“I see…I prefer tea, myself,” he said. “I’m sure the…” he stopped and turned towards the restaurant “Mystic Grill, serves tea,” he finished.  
Julie raised her eyebrows. “They do,” she said.   
He moved and pointed at the Grill. “Shall we?”   
Julie didn’t answer right away. She gave him a puzzled look. He was seriously asking her to go somewhere with him. Would she be stupid enough to say yes? It would be safer to say no. She should say no.  
“Sure,” she nodded. She wasn’t 100% comfortable with the idea and she had no idea why she agreed to it. Maybe she was so tired she couldn’t think clearly. Maybe she was just curious. Or suicidal. Or stupid. Or all that. She picked up her purse and kept her notebook in her arms. She shyly smiled at him before she looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked back up at him. He watched her, amused by her cute nervous behavior. He moved out of her way and she looked down then looked up at him again before she looked away and started walking towards the restaurant.   
They walked next to each other in silence. He kept peeking at her but she didn’t see it. He opened the door of the restaurant and let her enter first.  
“Thank you,” she said and looked down so he wouldn’t see her smile but he did and she didn’t see him grin.  
Matt Donovan was at the bar when he saw Julie come in with a stranger. Older guy wearing a suit? He guessed she was with Elijah. He worried and immediately took his phone and dialed Bonnie’s number.   
Julie and Elijah sat at a table and she saw him moved his head a little like he was listening to someone behind him but there was no one near them. He smiled for a second and she didn’t understand what was amusing him.  
“Are werewolves more dangerous than vampires?” she asked, suddenly.  
“No,” he answered. “But a werewolf bite would kill a vampire.”  
“Like poison?” she asked and he nodded. “Would it kill you?”   
He frowned. “No, it would make me sick but nothing can kill me,” he told her.  
“I see…But…what usually kills a vampire? Or a werewolf?”  
“A stake in the heart would kill a vampire,” he said. “Vervain burns them but it’s not mortal. If you need to protect yourself from a vampire, it is one good way to do it.”  
“Would it hurt you?”  
“Yes,” he nodded.  
“What about daylight?”  
“Daylight would kill a vampire,” he nodded.  
“But…why isn’t Stefan, or Caroline, hurt by it?”  
“They use magic to protect themselves,” he answered. “They probably have a daylight ring, I know your friend Stefan has one.”  
“So…without it, they’ll…”  
“Burn and die, yes,” he nodded. “Your friend Bonnie must have made one for Miss Forbes.”  
“What about werewolves?”  
“A werewolf will turn at a full moon,” he said. “They’re physically stronger but not as strong as vampires are.”  
“How do you…become a vampire? Or a werewolf?” she asked.  
“To become a vampire you have to die with vampire blood in your system. Werewolves are born with the gene but to trigger the curse, they have to kill someone.”  
“Who are they?” she asked. “The werewolves that are here? Do I know them?”  
“You know one of them,” he nodded. “Tyler Lockwood.”  
Julie’s eyes grew big. “Tyler’s a werewolf?” He nodded. “That means…he killed somebody…”  
“Accidents happen,” he said. “Especially with werewolves. They’re angrier.”  
“Here’s your tea,” the waitress placed two cups on the table. They waited for her to leave before speaking again.  
“So, all those animal attacks, lately…”  
“Vampire attacks,” he completed her thought. She sighed.  
“Why…why are you…different from Stefan or Caroline?”  
“I’m one of the Originals,” he answered.  
“One of the first vampires?”  
“Yes,” he nodded.  
“So…how did you become a vampire?” she asked.  
He sighed. “It’s a long story,” he said. “It was a thousand years ago.”  
“You’re a thousand years old?” she asked a little too loud. She looked around to see if anyone had heard her.  
“Yes,” Elijah chuckled.  
“That’s…,” Julie laughed. “That’s amazing! You’ve been around for all the interesting stuffs! I have so many questions!” Julie’s fear completely disappeared. Her brain couldn’t keep up with all the questions she wanted to ask. Elijah laughed at her excitement. Unfortunately for both of them, someone interrupted their conversation.  
“Julie!”  
“Bonnie? What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw the witch’s worried look.  
“Are you okay?” she asked when she arrived near the table. She gave a bad look to Elijah who seemed amused by the situation. Like he knew this would happen.  
“I’m fine, why?” Julie asked. Bonnie stared at her like she was stupid. She eyed Elijah, who chuckled and Julie finally understood what was going on in Bonnie’s head. “I’m fine, Bonnie. We’re just talking.”  
“Just talking?” she echoed. “He’s dangerous, Julie,” she whispered like if Elijah wouldn’t hear her which amused him.  
“I’m fine,” Julie repeated.  
“I should go,” Elijah said. Julie watched him get up and take his wallet out of his jacket pocket.   
“Oh, it’s okay…” Julie started to say but he cut her off and paid anyway.  
“It’s fine,” he said. “Have a nice day, Julie. I hope to see you again, soon.” Julie watched him leave and all the questions she had stayed unanswered.  
“What did you do that for?” Julie asked Bonnie, angry. “We were just talking.”  
“Matt called me. I was worried.”  
“Why? Do you think he would’ve killed me here, in front of everybody? We were just having some tea!”  
“You don’t just have some tea with Elijah, Julie! He’s…”  
“He’s dangerous, yeah, I got it,” she rolled her eyes and sighed. She grabbed her bag and got up.   
“Julie!” Bonnie called after her as she was exiting the restaurant. “I don’t think you understand…” She followed her in the street. “What were you talking about anyway?” she asked.  
“I just found out vampires and werewolves exist, I had a few questions!”  
“You could’ve asked me!”  
“Look, Bonnie,” Julie sighed and turned to face her. “I was sitting in the park, he was there, and we started to talk.” Bonnie sighed.  
“It’s weird…to see you with him. He’s the enemy…”  
“Who’s enemy? Isn’t he trying to help?”  
“Damon and Stefan don’t trust him. They’re looking for another way to help Elena.”  
“Another way? What other way?” Julie asked.  
“I don’t know…we’re looking for it.”  
Julie sighed. “Weren’t you scared?” Bonnie asked, curious.  
“A little at first. But he’s…”  
“What?”  
“Nice,” she shrugged.  
“With you, maybe.”  
“Didn’t he help Stefan out of the tomb?”  
“He did,” she nodded.  
“See? He is nice.”  
“I don’t think he did it because he’s nice.”   
Julie sighed. “And I don’t think he was going to hurt me. I didn’t need to be…rescued.”  
“I’m sorry,” Bonnie apologized. “I was just worried.”  
Julie had forgotten Bonnie actually cared about her. It’s been awhile since anyone had cared for her safety. “Thank you,” she said.  
“Uh…you’re welcome?”   
Julie chuckled which made Bonnie laughed. “Why aren’t you at school?” she asked.  
“I was at school when Matt called,” she answered. “Do you have any more questions?” she asked. “I’d be happy to answer them.”  
Julie sighed. “I just want to know what’s going on.” Bonnie smiled and nodded.  
“Come on, I’ll tell you all about how Klaus, another Original, wants to sacrifice Elena to break a curse.”


	5. Luka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I wrote Lucas somewhere instead of Luka, just ignore it ;)

Klaus was an Original, just like Elijah, who needed Elena, the moonstone, a vampire, a witch and a werewolf to break a curse. Julie had been right. Knowing more only made things scarier. Bonnie answered all her questions, well, most of them, anyway. She still didn’t know why she couldn’t be compelled. But she learned that Elijah hadn’t lied; Rose had just died from a werewolf bite.  
The next morning, Bonnie and Julie met at the Mystic Grill for lunch.  
“Poor Rose…” Julie didn’t know why she was sad, she barely knew her. “Did Tyler bite her?”  
“No,” Bonnie answered. “Some girl, Jules…She was after Damon, Rose got in the way.”  
“What is she doing here, anyway?”  
“Something to do with Tyler,” she shrugged. “She’ll be dead, soon. Damon wants her dead.”  
“Does Damon kill everyone he disagrees with?” Julie asked. Okay, there was more than just a disagreement between them but for whatever reason, Julie didn’t think that killing was the solution.  
“Yes,” Bonnie answered with a serious tone. “Anyway, Stefan went to talk to Tyler to convince him not to trust Jules, I doubt he’ll listen. He’s mad at Caroline for lying to her.”  
“How’s Caroline?”  
“She’s panicking about it,” Bonnie sighed. “But she’s okay. Not like you,” she said.  
“What are you talking about?” Julie was confused.  
“You look terrible, Julie,” Bonnie told her.  
“Oh,” she sighed. She ran a hand over her tired face. “I’m having some trouble…sleeping,” she admitted.  
“You’re having nightmares,” Bonnie guessed.  
“Yeah…” Julie looked down, like she was ashamed.  
“You’ll get through this,” Bonnie said with a reassuring smile.  
Julie chuckled. “I just hope I won’t die before I do…”  
“Why would you say that?” Bonnie frowned.  
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I die in most of my dreams.”  
“They’re just nightmares, Julie,” Bonnie assured her. “You’ll be fine.” Julie gave her a weak smile. “You know what, I’m supposed to meet Jeremy in a couple hours, but I might have some herbs that’ll help you sleep. It might knock you out until tomorrow morning, how does that sound?”  
“Sounds perfect,” Julie chuckled. “What about the nightmares?”  
“Sorry, no,” Bonnie gave her a sorry look. “But you really need to sleep.” Julie sighed. Bonnie was right but she was still afraid of the nightmares.  
Bonnie gave Julie the herbs and it wasn’t even 3PM yet that she was in her bed, asleep, and nothing could wake her up. She had never slept better in her life. She didn’t have any nightmare and when she woke up, she was feeling relaxed and happy. But that feeling soon disappeared when she took her phone and saw tones of messages from Bonnie. Julie quickly got up. She took a quick shower and rapidly got dressed. Caroline had been kidnapped by Jules and Tyler hadn’t been of any help. She had been hurt pretty bad so Elena and Bonnie spent the night at the blonde’s place. She was fine and they were waiting for her at the Grill for lunch. It was so late, Julie made a mental note to thank Bonnie for her magical herbs.  
“Hey, Julie!” Bonnie waved at her from the table she was sitting at with Caroline. Julie smiled back at her and walked towards them.  
“Hey, sorry, I just woke up,” she laughed.  
“You look great,” Bonnie said.  
“Thanks to you.”  
“Nightmares?” Bonnie asked.  
“Nope,” Julie answered with a smile before she turned to Caroline. “Hey, how are you?”  
“I’m fine,” Caroline smiled. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said and Julie nodded.  
“So, tell me about this big witchy plan you’ve been cooking up?” Caroline asked, turning back to Bonnie.  
“What witchy plan?” Julie asked, confused.  
“Well, we still don’t know the extend on what’s Elijah’s up to,” Bonnie said.  
“No we don’t” the blonde nodded.  
“So, I’m gonna ask Lucas to tell me what he knows.”  
Julie and Caroline were skeptical.  
“And, he’s not gonna tell you anything” Caroline said.  
“I didn’t say he was gonna have a choice” Bonnie replied with a malicious smile.  
But Caroline seemed distracted and she looked up to wave at Matt who seemed pretty angry.  
“What was that about?” Bonnie asked.  
“I don’t know, I thought that we were…” she sighed, “I don’t know”. She got up and walked towards her boyfriend.  
“Trouble in paradise?” Julie asked.  
“Yeah…It’s not easy, he doesn’t know about anything,” she answered.  
“Lucky him,” Julie sighed. Bonnie frowned at her comment.  
“Do you wish not to have known about the supernatural?” she asked.  
“I sure slept better when I didn’t,” she replied. “Looks like it’s not going well,” she said, watching Caroline and Matt from afar.  
“Here comes Tyler,” Bonnie said.  
“Should we do something?”  
“No, Caroline can take care of herself.”  
“So,” Julie said. “Did you call me to help you kidnap a wizard?”  
Bonnie laughed. “Yeah,” she nodded.  
“I’ve never seen you do any magic,” Julie said.  
“I’ve never done this before,” Bonnie told her. “I hope we’ll get results. We need to find out Elijah’s true intentions.”  
“You really don’t trust him?” Julie asked.  
“Do you?”  
Julie sighed. “I don’t know…He did help yesterday, in a way…”  
“The deal won’t last,” Bonnie said. “We need to know more about his plans.”  
“Where’s Elena, anyway?” Julie asked. This was all about her.  
“She left town with Stefan. She wanted a break from all this.”  
Caroline seemed pretty angry when she walked back to the table and she sat down with a sigh.  
“You okay?” Julie asked and the blonde looked up at her. She took a deep breath and calmed down.  
“Yeah…” she gave her a small smile.  
“Here come Lucas,” Bonnie said. “Let’s get to work.” The witch got up and went to the bar to get the coffees to set the plan in action.  
“So,” Caroline said, leaning forward. “I heard you had a nice little chat with Elijah,” she said. Julie raised her eyebrows. What was she supposed to answer to that?  
“We talked,” she nodded.  
“What did you talk about?”  
“Vampires, werewolves…” she shrugged.  
“Is that all?” she asked with a malicious grin which made Julie frown.  
“Yes,” she answered, confused. “Why?”  
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I would have left so fast,” she laughed.  
“He’s not that bad,” Julie said. “He’s…” Julie couldn’t find her words. She didn’t notice she was smiling, thinking about him. Caroline frowned when she noticed it. Julie didn’t have the time to finish her sentence as they were interrupted by Jeremy.  
“Hey, how is it going?” he asked sitting next to Julie.  
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Caroline asked, surprised.  
“Bonnie called, I wanted to help,” he answered. “How is it going?”  
“She’s selling it and he’s buying it,” she told him. “She’s giving him the sex smile,” she said.  
“Yeah, all right, Caroline, I get it,” he stopped her. Both Julie and Caroline looked up at the youngest Gilbert. Was he jealous? He never liked Lucas, so maybe this was the reason. The girls looked at each other but said nothing, understanding each other without a word: Jeremy had a crush on Bonnie.  
“Time to go,” he said. Bonnie had drugged Lucas’ coffee and he was barely standing on his feet anymore. Julie and Caroline followed him and he helped Lucas out of the Grill. “What kind of witch roofie was that?” he asked Bonnie.  
“A strong one,” she answered with a proud and amused smile. Julie chuckled and followed her new friends to Caroline’s house.  
They lied Lucas on Caroline’s living room’s floor. Julie sat down, next to Bonnie, across from Jeremy.  
“Okay, we only have an hour or two before my mom gets home” the vampire said carrying lots of candles. “And these were all I could find.”  
“How does this work?” Jeremy asked.  
“I’ll put him in a trance and ask him questions, it’s like hypnosis,” the witch answered.  
“You’re sure you’re strong enough for this?” Jeremy asked. Julie frowned at his question and started to worry. Could Bonnie get hurt doing this?  
“That’s what the candles are for, I’ll draw power from the flames.”  
“I’ll get the matches,” Caroline said.  
“I got it,” Bonnie said and Julie felt something strange, something hot, running through her body. She shivered when the candles lit up.  
“Wow,” she breathed out, trying to shake the feeling.  
Bonnie chuckled. “You okay?” she asked, amused.  
“Yeah…” Julie nodded, still confused by what had just happened to her.  
“I’m never gonna get used to that” Jeremy said.  
“Oh come on, that’s pretty hot and you know it,” Caroline laughed.  
“I need a bowl of water,” Bonnie said to Jeremy, giving him a pretty smile.  
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll go get it,” he nodded. Julie chuckled. Bonnie’s smile was like a spell on him.  
“Okay, what was that? It’s hot?” Bonnie asked Caroline after Jeremy had left the room.  
“He is so crushing on you!”  
“So?”  
“So? You’d rather be with warlock traitor over here?”  
Julie chuckled.  
“I’m not into Lucas. It’s just…you know, he understood me and he was new and different.”  
“And you’ve known Jeremy since forever and you only see him one way, as Elena’s brother.” Bonnie nodded. “But you’re a witch and I’m a vampire. You know it’s not like we’re in any position to…”  
“To be picky.” Bonnie cut her off.  
“No,” Caroline laughed “To judge.”  
Jeremy came back and Bonnie took the bowl from him.  
“He’s waking up,” Julie told Bonnie.  
Bonnie put her fingers in the water before putting her hands on each sides of Lucas’ head. The flames on the candles grew bigger and Lucas started panting.  
“You’re not… hurting him are you?” Julie asked, worried.  
“No, it won’t hurt him, he won’t even remember it after I’m done,” she answered.  
They all waiting in silence, looking from Bonnie to Lucas but minutes had passed and still, nothing was happening.  
“How long is this gonna take?” Caroline asked.  
“I don’t know, he’s fighting me” Bonnie answered.  
“Please stop,” Lucas begged. “Please.”  
Julie didn’t know if she wanted Bonnie to stop. She was curious to have some questions answered but she was feeling bad for messing with Lucas’ mind like that.  
“Yeah. Alright” Bonnie said, after she had managed to get into his head. “Why are you working with Elijah?” she asked first.  
Julie shivered at the mention of the vampire’s name but nobody seemed to notice.  
“Klaus,” he said. “We both want him dead.” That seemed to interest them.  
“You wanna kill Klaus too. Why?” Bonnie asked next.  
“Because he has her and we have to get her away from him.”  
Now, they were all confused.  
“Who are you talking about?”  
“My sister.”  
“His sister?” Jeremy echoed.  
“Why does he have her?” Bonnie continued.  
“He’s searching for a way to undo the curse without the doppelgänger. He’s forced generations of witches to help him for centuries.”  
Julie was horrified by his answer. It was her understanding that Klaus wasn’t a nice person and she couldn’t but imagine what he had done to all those witches who couldn’t figure out a way to give him what he wanted.  
“What has Elijah promised you?” Bonnie asked.  
“If we help Elijah kill Klaus, he’s promised to return her to us.”  
“And how do you kill Klaus? How do you kill an Original vampire?”  
Julie frowned at the question. Did they want to kill Elijah? Of course, Klaus needed to be stopped, but what would work on one Original would work on the other. And why was she so worried, anyway? Suddenly, Lucas started to fight back.  
“He’ll kill me if I tell you, don’t make me” he begged, scared.  
“It’s okay Bonnie, we can find another way,” Jeremy said and Julie agreed with him.  
“No,” Bonnie refused. “How will you kill Klaus?”  
“After the sacrifice, Klaus will be vulnerable, weak. It’s are only chance.”  
“After the sacrifice?” Caroline echoed.  
“What do you mean, “after”?” Bonnie wanted to know more.  
“After…” he repeated.  
“But Elena will be dead.” Bonnie said.  
“Yes, Elena has to die,” are Lucas’ last words.  
“No,” Jeremy shook his head.  
Elijah wanted to sacrifice Elena. He didn’t care about her at all, all he wanted was to kill Klaus and he didn’t care who died along with him. Julie was afraid of the vampire again.  
“You were right,” she breathed out. “Elijah can’t be trusted.”


	6. Car Accident

“Elijah can’t be trusted,” Julie whispered. She chuckled at her own stupidity. She didn’t know why she felt disappointed. She had been worn many times. What did she expect? He had killed Trevor like he would’ve stepped on a bug. She had still many things to learn. He was a killer. He has been for a thousand years, now. He didn’t care about human life, he didn’t care about Elena’s life; something she should have known, his main goal had been clear; he wanted to kill Klaus.  
“Are you okay?” Bonnie asked her new friend.  
“Yes,” she nodded. “I should’ve listened to you,” she said before she got up from the floor.  
“I should bring Luka back before he wakes up,” Caroline sighed.  
“I’ll clean this up,” Bonnie told her.  
“I’ll help you,” Julie said.  
There were no trace of them ever being in Caroline’s living room once they were done. Julie was putting the candles back where Caroline found them when she overheard an interesting conversation that was taking place in the hallway.  
“So, will Luka remember anything?” Jeremy asked Bonnie.  
“No,” she answered. “He’ll know he lost consciousness, that’s all.”   
“Should we wait for Caroline?”  
“She was just gonna drop Luka back at the Grill. Said to lock the door on our way out.”  
“Yeah, well I hope she drops him hard.”  
“Wait,” Bonnie said. There was a small silence before she spoke up again. “You’re Elena’s little brother, I’ve know you forever. You’re that punk kid. I remember your awkward phase and then your emo phase and your druggie phase and…overnight, you turned into this hot guy who’s really sweet and…”  
“You think I’m hot?” Jeremy cut her off. Bonnie didn’t answer right away.  
“With everything that’s going on, you know, the curses and sacrifice…”  
Julie took a look when she couldn’t hear any of them speak anymore. She smiled at what she saw; Jeremy and Bonnie kissing. She cleared her throat to let them know they weren’t alone.  
“Sorry,” she smiled. “We really should go before Sheriff Forbes comes back.”  
“Yeah,” Jeremy sighed, both embarrassed and annoyed.  
“Let’s go,” Bonnie said, looking up at Jeremy.  
Julie got into her car and watched them leave. She didn’t start the car right away. She thought about Elena and how scared she must be. Because Julie was scared. She saw Bonnie practice magic tonight and that was screwed up. Caroline was a vampire, she was dead and she was still smiling, nice and happy.  
Julie shook her head and took a deep breath. She had to stop thinking like that. She started the car and drove home. She was surprised but relieved to see her stepfather’s car wasn’t there. She took an apple from the kitchen and then took a quick shower. She got into bed afraid to fall asleep. She tried to think about something, anything, to chase Elijah, Klaus and all the drama out of her thoughts. She kept tossing and turning in her bed. She heard her stepfather coming home around 3AM, drunk. He turned on the TV and probably fell asleep on the couch. Julie thought about a lot of things. Silly things, really. Mostly, theories about why she couldn’t be compelled. Maybe she was a witch or a werewolf and just didn’t know it. Or maybe fairies did exist. Or maybe there was just something wrong with her. She fell asleep around 5AM but a nightmare woke her up at 7.  
She was standing in the middle of the dusty room where she met Elijah for the first time. She was surrounded by the lifeless bodies of Trevor, Rose and Elena. Two other vampires were there, too. One of them was Elijah and the other she didn’t recognize because he had no face. He was inches from her, ready to kill her. She jumped awake crying, trembling and panting. She quickly got out of bed and almost fell but she managed to find her balance and stay on her feet. She walked in the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked awful. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and got into the shower where she kept crying under the cold water. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes, focusing on the water falling on her body.  
She stayed about half an hour in the shower and when she got out she was feeling sick. She wrapped a towel around her wet body and sat on the cold floor of the bathroom next to the toilet. She brought her knees to her chest and took her head in her hands. She was feeling nauseous and a minute later she was throwing up. She didn’t know why nor what she was throwing up as all she was eating lately was an apple for each meal. She sighed and wiped the tear that was falling down her cheek before she got up and walked towards the sink. She splashed water over her face and then brushed her teeth. Then, she put her pajamas back on and went back to bed.  
She was terrified. She was terrified of everything. She didn’t want to leave her house but then she thought she wasn’t safe here because vampires could enter anyway as her dead mother was still the legal owner of the house. She was afraid of Bonnie, because she was a witch. She was afraid of Caroline, because she was a vampire. She was afraid of Tyler, because he was a werewolf. And all that fear was making her sick. She was planning on staying in bed all day. And she did.  
But when night came, her phone started ringing. She didn’t pick up, at first, but whoever wanted to talk to her kept calling.  
“Hello?” she said with a weak voice.  
“Julie? It’s Jeremy!” he sounded panicked.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked.  
“It’s Bonnie! Luka’s father just took her magic from her!”  
“What?” Julie quickly sat up and her head started spinning. She put a hand on her temple.  
“Can you come? I can’t reach Caroline and Elena’s still at the lake house!”  
“Oh…Jeremy I don’t know, I’m sick…”  
“Please!” he cut her off. “I don’t know what to do…”  
Julie sighed. “Okay…I’m on my way.”  
“Thank you,” he sighed, relieved before she hung up.  
Julie stayed on her bed for a few minutes and then finally decided to move. She got dressed very quickly and lost her balance when she put her jeans on and almost fell. Luckily she managed to use her desk to hold herself up. She painfully walked down the stairs and her head started spinning again. She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath and waited for her vision to come back to normal before she opened it and walked, not without difficulty, to her car.  
She tried to stay focus on the road and she was almost at the Gilbert’s house when her headache got worse and everything started spinning. The wheel slipped out of her hands and she lost consciousness and the car drove off the road and crashed into a tree.  
When she regained consciousness, she was outside the car, sitting on the ground. She slowly and painfully opened her eyes. She wasn’t alone, now that she started to be aware of what was around her she knew she was in somebody’s arms. She was confused at first, she didn’t know where she was or what had happened to her. But then she felt the hot liquid that was flowing down her throat and she started to panic. She quickly placed her hands on the wrist that was over her mouth and she tried to get away from the stranger.  
“You were in a car accident,” she recognized Elijah’s voice. “You lost a lot of blood,” he said.  
Julie’s cries were smothered by his wrist and she kept trying to get away from him so he let her go. She moved away, fast, and turned to face him. She was still on the ground, she had her hands in the dirt and her vision was blur. She started to sob and kept moving away from him.  
“You need to calm down,” he told her. He had his back against the crashed car.  
“What did you do to me?” she cried, wiping off the blood from her lips with the back of her left hand.  
“I healed you with my blood,” he explained. “But you need more,” he said. She saw him move so she backed away a little more. She was scared and confused and hurt. “Please calm down.”  
“Get away from me,” she breathed out, crying.  
“I will not hurt you,” he said with a calm voice. “Please, you need to calm down, you’re hurt.”  
At his words, the pain only grew stronger. Like he had reminded her that she was hurt. The pain that had made her sick all day, the one that made her lose consciousness at the wheel and the pain from the car crash. She let out a cry and brought a hand to her bleeding head. She started to sob loudly and Elijah slowly got up, he didn’t want to scare her more.  
“Please, stay away from me,” she cried, scared. He didn’t listen and slowly approached her and squatted down in front of her. He carefully watched her, he already knew where she was hurt but he didn’t understand why she was scared of him. She was so eager to know about him last time they saw each other, she had so many questions for him. But now, she was terrified and he didn’t understand why.  
“I will not harm you,” he repeated. He slowly approached his hand to her face and stroke her cheek with his thumb to calm her down. She watched his hand getting closer with fear and then moved her eyes to look at him. She watched him with big wet eyes. “I can take you to the hospital,” he said. “Or I could heal you with my blood,” he gave her a choice but she didn’t answer. “Can you get up?” he asked. Julie closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek. Elijah wiped it up with his thumb.  
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It hurts,” she cried.  
“Where?” he asked, worried. Julie looked down and sobbed. She placed her right hand on her chest, where it was the most painful.  
“I don’t know,” she cried. Her head hurt, she couldn’t see or think clearly and she had trouble breathing. She was confused; she didn’t know if she should run away from him and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t, which was terrifying her. She needed help and she knew it but the only person that could help her now was Elijah. “I’m so tired,” she cried.  
“Is that why you crashed the car?” he asked. “You fell asleep?”  
“No,” she shook her head and sniffed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she sobbed. “Make it stop,” she begged him. Elijah nodded and he slipped his left arm under her knees and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. He brought her to his chest and lifted her off the ground.  
He looked down at her. She removed her arm from his neck and rested her head on his chest. “Close your eyes,” he told her. She looked up at him, she didn’t understand at first but did it anyway. Her hands fisted his jacket and she buried her head against his chest. She felt the wind on her face as he went, vampire speed, to her house. She opened her eyes a few minutes later, when she felt he had stopped moving. She recognized her bedroom and he lied her down on her bed. She let go of his shirt and leaned her back against the pillows and the headboard and she watched him sat next to her.  
“How did you find me?” she asked with a weak voice.  
“I was going to Elena’s house, just like you were I suppose,” he answered. “What happened?”  
“It was stupid to take the car,” she told him. “I have been sick all day and I passed out.”  
“You’re still hurt,” he said. He approached his hand to the wound on her forehead. “I can help you.”  
“Why would you help me?” she asked with a weak voice. He looked at her in silence but then his eyes moved away from her and he sighed.  
“I don’t know,” he merely said. He got up and placed his hands on her waist, which surprised her. She put her hands over his and she gasped when he lifted her off the bed. He took her place and rested his back on the headboard and he brought her to him, her back against his chest. He bit his wrist and brought it to her mouth. “It’ll heal you,” he said. She took his wrist with both her hands and closed her eyes as his blood flowed down her throat. His free arm was wrapped around her waist and he rested his chin on the top of her head. “Are you feeling better?” he asked after he removed his wrist.  
“A little,” she said. “Thank you,” she shyly looked up at him. He smiled at her and nodded.  
“You were scared of me earlier,” he said. “Why?” He locked his eyes in hers, waiting for an answer.  
“Because I know you’re planning on sacrificing Elena,” she answered and he seemed surprised. “Because you’re a vampire,” she whispered and looked down.  
“You weren’t scared the other day, at the Grill,” he said. “Why now?”  
She looked up at him and he saw there were tears in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I guess I just realized it…” she looked down.  
“Realized what?” he asked, confused. She sniffed and wiped the tears off her cheeks.  
“That it was true,” she said. “Vampires, witches, werewolves… they’re all real and… and it’s terrifying me,” she admitted.  
He didn’t know what to say and stayed silent for a few minutes. “Are you afraid of me?” he finally asked and she looked up. “Do you want me to leave?” She didn’t answer right away. She kept looking into his eyes, maybe she’ll find an answer in them.  
“I’m afraid of you,” she answered in a barely audible whisper. He closed his eyes, sighed and nodded. “But I don’t want you to leave,” she added. He opened his eyes and frowned. He looked into her eyes to see if she was telling the truth. She looked down and leaned into his chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Why were you going to Elena’s house?” she asked.  
“The deal I made with her has been broken,” he answered. She looked up at him.  
“What? Why?” He sighed.  
“Alaric Saltzman killed me tonight,” he said. Julie had a confused look on her face.  
“There is dagger that can kill me,” he told her. “But they didn’t leave the dagger in my heart so I didn’t stay dead,” he explained.  
Julie moved away from him and quickly looked at his chest before she looked up at him again. “Wh…? Are you okay?” she asked.  
Elijah chuckled and nodded. “I told you, I can’t be killed.”  
“Why were you going to Elena’s house?” she asked again, concerned about his intentions.  
He sighed again. “I needed to inform her the deal was broken.”  
“That’s it?” she frowned, doubtful.  
“I wasn’t going to harm her,” he said. Julie sighed, shook her head with disappointment and looked down.  
“Because you need her for the sacrifice.”  
“Yes.” She didn’t think he would answer, she didn’t need an answer. But he clearly wasn’t ashamed of his plan to kill Elena.  
“That’s why I’m afraid you,” she said, low.  
He stayed silent for a minute. “Because I want to kill Elena?”  
“No,” she looked up at him. “Because you kill people.”  
He remembered he had killed Trevor in front of her. “I’m a vampire,” he told her.  
“And I’m not afraid of Caroline,” she said.  
“If I want to kill Klaus, I need to do the sacrifice.”  
“There must be another way,” she said. He looked at her in silence and saw hope in her eyes.  
“Maybe…” he said.  
“Really?” she asked, hopeful. But he didn’t answer. He tucked a lock of hair behind her right ear without moving his eyes from hers and then placed his hand on her cheek.  
“What are you?” he asked, he seemed distracted, and she was confused again.  
“What do you mean?”  
His face slowly approached hers and she didn’t move, his eyes fell on her lips but then moved back up on her eyes. He wanted to see if she was scared. He could hear her heart was beating faster. She hadn’t moved her eyes from his and she put her hand over his. Their nose touched and finally her gaze moved to his lips. She couldn’t think clearly, she was only aware of his face inches from her and of his arm around her waist, she couldn’t think about anything else. His lips was grazing hers and she closed her eyes but didn’t move. He put his lips on hers, finally kissing her. It was a short, innocent and chaste kiss. Her first kiss, if you had to know. She opened her eyes when he moved away, trying to find his gaze. He stroke her left cheek with his knuckles, his left hand was still on her other cheek.  
“You need to rest,” he said.  
“Are you staying?” she asked. He smiled and nodded. She leaned into his chest and he lied down on the bed. She put her head and her right hand on his chest. He had one hand on her waist and his other hand on her shoulder. “Can you save Elena?” she asked. She looked up at him and he was looking at the ceiling. “Please?” He sighed and looked down at her.  
“I’ll try,” he promised. She smiled and laid her head back on his chest. She fell asleep in his arms and she slept better than she had in a while, even better than with Bonnie’s magical herbs.  
Daylight woke her up early. It took her a while to realize something was wrong. She propped herself up with her elbows and looked around the room but she was alone. Elijah was gone.


	7. Murderers

Daylight was filling Julie’s entire room. She was sitting on her bed, barely awake and alone. She rubbed her eyes even though she was feeling tired. She had a very good night of sleep. She didn’t have any nightmare and she was feeling relaxed. But something was wrong. She didn’t know what but her heart felt like it was being compressed. She took a deep breath and the pain was gone.  
She looked down at herself and noticed the blood on her clothes. She remembered taking her car last night after Jeremy called her and told her Bonnie had lost her magic. She remembered not feeling well and she had no memory of seeing any of them last night. But then, she remembered passing out at the wheel and everything came back to her in a second.  
Elijah.  
Elijah was there. He got her out of the car and brought her home. He healed her and then…he kissed her.  
And she didn’t push him away. Julie would’ve sworn she had dreamt it all but she could still feel his lips on hers. She brought her fingers to her lips and smiled at the memory. But then she wondered why she was alone. He told her he would stay. She sighed. Why did she let him kiss her? Did she like him? Did he like her? She stayed in bed, wondering if she was deluding herself. He wanted to kill Elena, to sacrifice her so he could kill Klaus. Maybe she was just stupid. Stupid enough to believe anything he would say. He was probably playing with her. Why would he be interested in her? He was a thousand years old Original vampire and she was…she didn’t even know what she was.  
She jumped, suddenly, as her phone started to ring.  
“Damn it,” she sighed. She took her phone and got up. She had tones of missed calls and messages from Jeremy and Bonnie. But that didn’t worry her. What worried her was the time.  
“Damn it!”  
Julie rushed in the bathroom. She was still wearing the clothes she put on last night when she left for Elena’s house. When she crashed her car in a tree… Which meant she didn’t have a car anymore.  
“Damn it,” she sighed.  
She removed her bloody clothes and took a quick shower. She found out that cleaning blood took time. She washed the blood off her hair and then quickly brushed her teeth and got dressed. She went outside and saw the final proof. Her car wasn’t there. She did crash her car last night. Elijah did save her life. And he did kiss her.  
She felt so hot, suddenly. She let out a cry as she felt like her skin was on fire.  
“What the hell?!” she gasped. She cried out of pain as the heat was burning her. But the pain stopped after a few minutes as fast as it arrived. She took a deep breath and tried to catch her breath. What had just happened? This had never happened before and she had no idea what might have caused it.  
She shook her head, trying to shake the feeling away and went back inside. She wasn’t physically hurt. She had no burning mark at all on her skin. She entered the garage and removed the car-cover from her mother’s old car. She hoped it would start. She was going to have to bring her own car to a mechanic and she hoped it wouldn’t get too long to fix it. She didn’t like her mother’s car; it reminded her of other times.  
The car worked fine. Julie arrived at school on time. She rushed inside with her books in her arms. She wasn’t looking where she was going and she bumped into someone.  
“I’m sorry!” she apologized quickly before she realized it was Stefan.  
“Julie!” he seemed surprised and relieved to see her which confused her. “Where have you been? Bonnie’s been trying to reach for hours! We found your car crashed in a tree! Are you okay?”  
“Uh…Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she nodded.  
“What happened to you?” he asked.  
She sighed. “I told Jeremy I was sick,” she said. “I shouldn’t have taken the car, I passed out at the wheel.”  
“Are you okay?” he asked again, worried.  
“Yes, I’m fine, now.”  
Stefan frowned. “What do you mean, now?” he asked. “Were you hurt?”  
“I was,” she nodded. “Pretty bad,” she remembered the wound on her forehead and the blood on her clothes. She saw Stefan was confused and waited for an explanation. She took a deep breath before she spoke up again. “Elijah found me,” she said and he immediately tensed up. “He healed me and brought me home.”  
“He did?” he looked suspicious.  
“Yeah,” she nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. But then she remembered why she took the car last night in the first place. “How’s Bonnie?”  
“She’s worried about you,” Stefan said. “And her magic’s gone.”  
“I know. Jeremy told me,” Julie sighed. “Is there any way to get it back?”  
“Luka’s father is the one who took it from her. He’s the only one who can give it back.” Julie understood and nodded.  
“Have you seen Elijah?” Julie asked. She thought he might have left to tell them about the deal. Stefan looked down and sighed. “He said he wanted to tell Elena the deal’s off.”  
“Elijah’s gone, Julie,” he said and Julie didn’t understand.  
“What do you mean, gone?”  
“He couldn’t be trusted. He planned on killing Elena,” he said. “We needed him to go.” Julie shook her head, trying to understand.  
“So…what? What did you do?” she asked. Stefan noticed her angry tone.  
“We stopped him,” he answered and he saw that wasn’t good enough for her. “Elijah’s dead, Julie.”  
He’s dead. Stefan’s words echoed in her mind. She couldn’t believe it. She was terribly confused.  
“Elijah can’t be killed,” she reminded him.  
Stefan sighed. “There’s this weapon John Gilbert gave Damon.” Julie remembered the dagger but decided it would be smarter not to let Stefan know about what she knew. “We used it to stop him. He’s not dead, dead. But…”  
“I can’t believe you killed him,” Julie breathed out. She didn’t know how to feel. Should she feel angry? Sad? Relieved? Happy?  
“He was dangerous, Julie. He had to be stopped.”  
Julie stared at Stefan without a word. Elijah was gone. He left her house last night to go the lake house and got killed. “Did you kill him?” she asked and Stefan frowned.  
“No. Elena did. Vampires can’t use the dagger or they’ll die,” he explained.  
“Elena killed Elijah?” she repeated, a little loud, dumbfounded.  
“Julie,” Stefan sighed and took one step towards her. “It’s a good thing,” he said, locking his eyes in hers to make her understand he was right.  
“Why?” she asked. She couldn’t think clearly. “What…where is he?”  
Stefan sighed. “In my basement. Damon’s trying to find a way to get rid of him definitively.”  
Get rid of him definitively.  
They were interrupted by the bell which reminded both of them they were late for class.  
“I have to go,” Julie said with a trembling voice. There it was again. The pain in her chest. The feeling of being alone. All that was completely gone when she was in his arms. A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it off quickly, rushing to her classroom. Fun! Everybody she knew was guilty of murder.  
She didn’t pay attention in any of her classes. She tried to avoid Bonnie and Caroline but as fast as she got out of school to reach her car, it wasn’t fast enough.  
“Julie!” Bonnie called her name. She didn’t want to talk to any of them. Her first instinct had been right. She was better on her own.  
“What?”  
Both Bonnie and Caroline frowned at her angry tone.  
“Are you okay?” Bonnie asked.  
“Stefan told us what happened last night,” Caroline said.  
“I’m fine,” Julie answered, turning her back to them to open her car door.  
“I’m sorry,” Bonnie apologized. “It was my fault you took your car last night.”  
Julie closed her eyes and sighed. As angry as she was, Bonnie was hurt. And maybe, she shouldn’t be angry. Maybe Stefan was right; Elijah had to be stopped.  
“It wasn’t your fault,” Julie told her but she still wasn’t looking at them.  
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Bonnie asked.  
“Yeah,” Caroline said. “It must have been a scary night, with the car accident and Elijah…”  
“I’m fine,” Julie mumbled. She shivered at the mention of his name. She didn’t like that.  
“Well…We’re having a girls’ night tonight,” Caroline said. “Wanna come?”  
Julie frowned and finally turned towards them.  
“You’re having a party?” she asked with an angry tone, shocked. “You just killed a man, and you’re having a party? What’s wrong with you?” Julie spat at them. They looked startled by her reaction.  
“Julie…” Bonnie started to say.  
“Elijah…”  
“Yeah, I know,” Julie cut the blonde off. “Elijah had to go. He’s dangerous. He can’t be trusted,” she repeated everything they kept telling her about the vampire. “But who’s going to protect Elena now?”  
“Elijah didn’t want to protect Elena!” Bonnie answered. “He wanted to sacrifice her.”  
“He said he might have a way to save her,” Julie told her and they looked surprised. “But you put a dagger in his heart so fast I guess he didn’t have the time to tell you!”  
“How do you know this?” Bonnie asked.  
Julie didn’t answer. She sighed, angry and got into her car and left them there. Killing someone, even an Original vampire, even a murderer, that wasn’t right. She didn’t know how they could be okay with this. How they could just kill someone and let him rot in their basement. Julie really wanted to help Elijah, to get him out of there. But how was she supposed to do it? This house belonged to two vampires. There was no way she could get inside and just free Elijah without anyone noticing.  
Julie drove home angry and confused. How could she let herself be involved in such a mess? Should she be worried about Elijah? Even though he was immortal, Stefan did say there were looking for a way to get rid of him permanently. What if they find a way? They would kill him. Kill him for good. Now the question Julie was asking herself was, why did she want to help Elijah? Of course, it was the right thing to do; killing someone, anyone, was wrong. But maybe there was another reason.  
Julie cleaned her house all afternoon. She didn’t want to think about anything, she wanted to clear her head so she focused on that. Around 5PM she took a shower and settled at her desk and started to do her homework. But she was interrupted by knocks on her front door. She rolled her eyes and sighed, guessing it was Bonnie again. But she had guessed wrong.  
“Elena?” Julie frowned, surprised to see the doppelganger at her door. The murderous doppelganger as it turned out. “What do you want?”  
“Bonnie told me what happened earlier,” she said. “Are you okay?”  
Julie sighed, annoyed. “Please, stop asking me that!” she told her. “I’m fine, I told you Elijah healed me.”  
“Yeah, I…” Elena shook her head. “I’m not talking about your accident.” Julie raised an eyebrow, confused. “I mean, of course I’m glad you’re fine,” she quickly added. “But…Bonnie said you seemed upset…about Elijah.” She looked at Julie with big questioning eyes.  
“I’m upset because you killed someone,” Julie replied.  
“Julie,” Elena sighed like she was trying to explain for the thousand times something to a child. “Elijah is dangerous. It’s safer this way.”  
“You made a deal with him,” Julie remained her. “He trusted you and you killed him. You’re the one that can’t be trusted, not him!”  
Julie’s reaction disconcerted her. Did she even feel bad for killing Elijah?  
“Julie,” Elena started to say, “I’m sorry. But I’m fighting for my life here.”  
“So what? Better him than you?”  
Elena was taken aback by her words. Like she had heard them before. Better you than me.  
“You’re right,” Elena said. “Killing Elijah was wrong. But what else was I supposed to do?”  
“You made a deal with him, Elena,” Julie repeated. “You were supposed to keep your word.”  
“He wanted to kill me,” Elena said.  
“I know that. And you knew that too.”  
Elena sighed. “You’re right. But Bonnie said you thought Elijah had a way to protect me.”  
“He said he might know a way,” Julie said. “But he’s dead now so who knows?”  
“How do you know this?” Elena asked, confused.  
“He told me.”  
“When? Last night?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well…what else did he say?”  
Julie looked at Elena in silence for a few seconds before she sighed and answered. “He promised he’d try to find a way to save you.”  
“He promised you?” Elena looked confused and a little suspicious. Julie admitted it might be naïve to believe anything Elijah had told her. But she couldn’t help but feel he had been honest with her.  
“Go away, Elena. I don’t want to be caught in your mess. Stay away from me,” she said before she slammed the door.  
She turned her back against the door and took a deep breath. It had been nice having friends for a few days. She sighed and got back to her room and chose to focus on her homework. When she was done, she looked at the time and saw it was late. She should eat something but she wasn’t feeling hungry. She was feeling sick again. But then again, out of the sudden, just like earlier in the day, her whole body felt like it was on fire. She cried out of pain and rushed under the shower and stayed under the cold water until the heat was gone. The pain left just like it came. She was soaking wet and panting, on her hands and knees in the shower. She tried to catch her breath, wondering what the hell was happening to her.


	8. The Plan

Julie took her soaked clothes off, tied her hair in a messy wet bun and put on her pajamas. She hoped she’d never have to feel that kind of pain ever again. She wondered if she was sick and decided she would go to the doctor if it happened again. She was standing in front of the mirror and had both her hands on the edge of the sink. She was staring at her reflection. She looked pale. She sighed and went back to her room. She thought maybe she had been too harsh on Elena earlier. Maybe she shouldn’t have reacted that way. Maybe they were right to kill before being killed. It was pure survival instinct. And it probably wasn’t the first time they did it. The only problem here was Elijah can’t be killed and so Julie had a choice to make. Help him or let him rot in the Salvatores’ basement. Of course if she decided to do the right thing, to help him, she was going to have to figure out how to do it without being caught by Damon.  
She sat on her bed, distracted by all the things Bonnie had told her. She knew Luka and his father worked with Elijah. Maybe they could help her, or she could help them, get Elijah back. She put on some clothes and walked down the stairs. She could hear the TV was on and Robert was probably drunk on the couch. She didn’t say anything and just left the house. She got into her mother’s car and drove to the Martin’s apartment. She parked in front of the building. She got out of the car but as soon as she reached the building, Stefan pushed open the door and almost ran into Julie.  
“Stefan!”  
“Julie? What are you doing here?” he asked. She saw the panic on his face and chose to elude the question.  
“What’s wrong with you? Are you okay?”  
“Luka’s dead.”  
Julie couldn’t believe it. “What?” she breathed out. “How?!”  
“He was burnt alive, I don’t really know,” he shook his head. He looked genuinely sorry. “His father’s after Elena, I have to go to the Grill, now,” he said and in the next second, he was gone.  
Julie was confused by his sudden disappearance. But Elena was in danger and even though she knew it was a stupid idea she got into her car and drove to the Grill. It wasn’t too far and she was there in few minutes. But she didn’t have the chance to enter the restaurant as everybody was exiting the Mystic Grill, screaming. She got out of the car and saw Elena was outside with Damon.  
“Damon!” she called his name. He turned and frown when he saw her rushing towards them.  
“Who are you?” he asked.  
Julie raised her eyebrows, surprised he didn’t remember her. “Uh, I’m Julie,” she said but it didn’t seem to ring any bells. “Anyway, Elena,” she turned to the Gilbert girl. “Stefan is looking for you, he said Luka was dead and that his father was after you.” Elena rolled her eyes and sighed.  
“Yeah, that’s not Elena,” Damon told Julie.  
“Excuse me?” she shook her head, confused.  
“We should go now before we’re too late,” Elena, well not Elena, sighed. She sounded annoyed and a little bitchy.  
“Oh!” Julie let out when she remembered Elena was the doppelganger of a vampire named Katherine Pierce. “You’re Katherine.”  
“Who are you?” Katherine asked, annoyed and certainly not interested in the answer. Julie knew Katherine wasn’t a good person. Elena didn’t like her, nobody liked her. She was manipulative and a dangerous liar.  
“Nobody,” Julie said. She really didn’t want her to remember her name. Screams and explosions could be heard from the Grill and Julie was startled by the noise. “What’s going on?”  
Damon sighed. “Go home, Lucie,” he said before he left with Katherine.  
Lucie…  
“Alright,” Julie sighed and got back to her car. She stayed there for a few minutes, thinking about what to do. She could drive to Elena’s house to make sure everything was okay. She could go to the Salvatores as she knew nobody was home. Or she could go home.  
She decided it would be too dangerous to go to the Salvatores as she had no idea when they would be back. So she drove back home. When she stepped in the house she heard her stepfather was still yelling at the TV. She didn’t make any sound and went to her bedroom. She threw her bag on her bed, put her pajamas on and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she got back to her room she could hear her phone was buzzing in her bag. She took the phone and laid her bag on her desk. It was Bonnie. Julie thought about picking up. She sighed and touched the green button.  
“Is everything okay?” she asked.  
“Julie, hi. Uh, well… Elena is fine. But Doctor Martin’s dead…”  
“Oh…What happened?”  
“Katherine killed him…”  
“I see…”  
“Look, Julie…I understand it’s difficult for you…to do things like we did…”  
“You mean kill?”  
There was a small silence before Bonnie spoke up again.  
“Yes. And you’re right. It’s wrong. But it was one option and a decision we made to save Elena. We’ve been dealing with this for so long now and…”  
“You know what you’re doing,” Julie cut her off.  
“We do,” Bonnie said. “And we hope we can still be friends. You can’t be alone in times like this. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy.” Julie sighed. Bonnie was right. She was going crazy. “See you tomorrow?”  
Julie didn’t answer right away. She was going to need to know things about them, especially to know when Damon and Stefan would be out of their house, if she wanted to help Elijah.  
“Sure.”  
“Great,” Bonnie sounded relieved. “See you later then.”  
“Bye, Bonnie.”  
Julie hung up first. She laid her phone on her night table and went to bed, worried about how she was going to help Elijah and when. She was woken up by the buzzing of her phone in the morning. She was barely awake when she saw Caroline was calling her.  
“Caroline?” she sighed, tired.  
“Julie, hi!” she sounded out of breath. “Have you seen Matt?” she asked.  
“Matt? What?” Julie’s eyes were barely opened. She sat up and rubbed her forehead with her free hand.  
“I told Matt I was a vampire last night and he freaked out and left and I have no idea where he is!”  
“Caroline,” Julie sighed. “I’m in my bed.”  
“Oh, I woke you up!”  
“Yes, you did,” she sighed.  
“So you haven’t seen Matt?”  
Julie sighed again, annoyed. “No, Caroline, I haven’t seen Matt.”  
“Could you call me if you do?”  
“Sure,” Julie yawned.  
“Okay, thanks!” Caroline said before she hung up.  
“Nice…day… to… you too…” Julie sighed before she threw her phone at the end of her bed and buried her head in her pillows with a groan.  
She was feeling lazy today so she stayed in bed for an hour and got up around eleven. She took a quick shower and after she got dressed she decided to call Caroline to know if she had found Matt yet. It was important Matt didn’t go around and tell everybody vampires existed. At worse, people would believe him, at best, they would think he’s crazy.  
“Julie, did you find Matt?” was the first thing Caroline said.  
“No, sorry. I was just calling to see if you had… I take it you didn’t.”  
Caroline sighed. “No…I’m going to the Lockwood’s, maybe he’s there.”  
“Okay. Do you need me there?”  
Caroline didn’t answer right away. “Look, Julie. I know you’re having a hard time but…I could use your help, yeah.”  
“I’ll meet you there.”  
“Thank you,” Caroline sighed before she hung up.  
There was an event at the Lockwood property and she knew Elena would be there as it regarded her mother’s foundation. She walked down the stairs and went to the living room. There were bottles of beer and empty plates of food everywhere. She sighed when she saw the mess and decided to clean before leaving. When she arrived at the Lockwood’s, Caroline was already there.  
“Did you find him?”  
“No,” Caroline sighed. She looked worried. “Thank you so much for helping.”  
“Of course,” Julie nodded.  
Caroline gave her a small smile. “Come on, maybe Mrs. Lockwood knows where he is.”  
Julie followed the blonde and they found Mrs. Lockwood talking with Sheriff Forbes in the living room.  
“Mrs. Lockwood? Have you seen Matt?” she asked. “I thought he was working here today?”  
Carole Lockwood thought for a second but then shook her head. “No, I haven’t, honey, sorry.” Caroline sighed, disappointed. “But, if you see him, could you ask him if he’s heard from Tyler?”  
“Yeah, of course,” Caroline nodded. “Uh, still no word from him?”  
“No, the note he left said he needed time to figure some things out but…I wish I knew where he was.”  
Julie had no idea that Tyler had left. She was pretty sure Caroline knew more about it than his mother. The blonde placed her hand on Carole’s arm to comfort her but then she saw Stefan and Elena in the entry and excused herself.  
“Excuse me,” she said and walked towards the couple followed by Julie who politely smiled and nodded at both women before she left. Stefan saw Caroline first but he frowned when he saw Julie was there too.  
“Hey, Julie, what are you doing here?” he asked.  
“She’s helping me,” Caroline answered for her, which annoyed Julie but she didn’t say anything.  
“Any luck finding Matt?” he asked.”  
“None,” Caroline answered. “What if he tells somebody? What if he tells everybody?” she panicked.  
“No, we just have to find him and make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said and turned to Elena. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”  
“I wish I did but he wasn’t really one to run,” Elena said.  
“That wasn’t how it was supposed to happen,” Caroline laughed, nervously. “I was supposed to tell him at the right moment, in the right way and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me.”  
“We’ll help you find him,” Elena said. “I just have to accept this thing for Jenna.”  
“Alright, call me when you’re done. We’ll be out looking for him,” Caroline said, looking at Julie who nodded.  
“Are you okay?” Elena asked Julie.  
“I’m fine,” she merely said before she followed Caroline outside.  
They watched her leave. “She hates me,” Elena sighed.  
“All this is just new to her,” Stefan told her. “She’ll get over it. You did.” Elena looked up at her boyfriend and smiled.  
Caroline wanted to check the Grill but Matt wasn’t there.  
“So, do you know where Tyler is?”  
Caroline raised her eyebrows, surprised by her question. “No,” she answered. She looked a little sad.  
“Do you know why he left?”  
Caroline sighed. “Yeah,” she nodded. Julie understood she wasn’t going to tell her so she didn’t push it.  
“I thought Katherine was stuck in a tomb,” she said. “But I saw her last night. What’s up with that?”  
“When…” Caroline seemed hesitant. “When Elena killed Elijah, it set Katherine free from his compulsion. Allowing her to get out. She’s been…helping.”  
“Helping?” Julie was suspicious.  
“Well,” Caroline sighed. “She says she’s helping.”  
“But?”  
Caroline chuckled. “But she’s a psycho bitch.” Julie laughed.  
“So I’ve heard.”  
“Anyway, thanks for helping me. I’m gonna go back home, maybe he’s there.”  
“Of course,” Julie smiled. “Tell me if you find him.”  
“I will.”  
Julie sat in her car, tired. It wasn’t 5PM yet and she had no idea what to do. She didn’t know where Damon was so she didn’t know if she could go to the Salvatores. She had no idea where Matt could be so she wasn’t of any help to Caroline. She didn’t know where Bonnie was and she wasn’t answering her phone. Julie sighed. She started the car and drove back home.  
Her stepfather’s car wasn’t there. When she got out of the car she took her phone and saw a message from Caroline telling her she found Matt at her house. Julie texted her back and before she entered her house. She walked in the kitchen and opened the fridge and saw it was empty. She looked around a little more and saw there was nothing to eat in the house. So she left the house again and got into her car and left to buy groceries.  
She was distracted in the way to the store. She tried to focus on what she was buying. Beer and other very unhealthy food for Robert and fruit and vegetables so she would be able to cook healthy meals for herself. She should eat better. She hadn’t been eating much lately.  
She drove back home and after she put the groceries away she decided to do the laundry. She tried not to think about Elijah. The simple thought of the vampire lying dead in Stefan’s basement made her feel sick. She thought about her car, the mechanic had told her it would be ready next week.  
Sher received a text from Caroline around 8 to let her know she had compelled Matt to forget about vampires. She texted back she was sorry and asked her how she was feeling. “Not good,” she texted back.  
Julie cooked and dinner was ready when Robert came back home, sober for once. His presence took Julie’s appetite away.  
“You’re not eating?” he asked when he saw her walk out of the kitchen.  
“I have a test tomorrow I need to study for,” she lied. “I’m not hungry.”  
“Too bad, it’s pretty good,” he said, not looking up from his plate.  
“Thanks,” she quickly said, before she got up to her room.  
She was feeling tired but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Even if she did, she was too afraid to have nightmares again. She sat at her desk and took her notebook and stared at the blank page for a while. Of all the things she could be thinking about, Elijah seemed to come on top. Time passed and she didn’t notice it. She was startled and jumped as her phone started to ring.  
“Damn it,” she breathed out before she picked up. “Hey, Bonnie.”  
“Hey, Julie. How are you?”  
“I’m fine, how are you?”  
“I’m good…You sound tired…”  
“I’m okay,” she said.” What’s up?”  
“Uh, well I just wanted to let you know about what happened today…”  
“What happened today?”  
“Do you remember Isobel?” she asked.  
“Uh, yeah. Elena’s mother and Alaric’s wife.”  
“She’s dead.” Great. Another death.  
“How?”  
“She killed herself.”  
“She did?” Julie found it weird she would do that. From what Bonnie had told her, she was working with Katherine.  
“We think Klaus compelled her,” she explained. “He’s gonna be in town, soon.” Well, that was another thing to have nightmares about.  
“Oh…”  
“We believe he’s already here. Katherine’s gone.”  
“You think she left without telling you Klaus was in town?”  
“No, we think Klaus killed her.”  
“Oh.”  
Another one dead…  
“That’s a good thing,” Bonnie said. Julie had to agree with her on this one. “Anyway, there’s this dance at school tomorrow night, will you be there?”  
“A dance?” Julie chuckled. “No way.”  
“Well, we’re going. So, if you change your mind…”  
“I won’t but I’ll tell you.”  
“It could be fun.”  
“I’m good, Bonnie,” Julie said, amused. “I don’t like dances.”  
“Okay, then,” she sighed, a little disappointed.  
“Thanks for telling me all that. You didn’t have to.”  
“Of course. Be careful, okay?”  
“You too, Bonnie, bye.”  
Julie sighed and put her phone down on her desk. There was a dance tomorrow night which meant Stefan and Elena would be there. If only she knew where Damon would be, now that Katherine’s gone, she could go in and find Elijah. She pushed herself up, put her notebook back in the drawer and went to bed, thinking about the day to come. Thinking about Elijah.  
Of course, a nightmare woke her up early. She was crying and panting but she couldn’t remember why. She didn’t know why she never remembered her dreams but she thought it might be better that way. But she could still feel the fear from the nightmare, every time. She got up and the first thing she did was take a shower to clean the nightmare away. The cold water cleared her mind. Tonight, she might have the opportunity to free Elijah. She had to focus on that. All she needed was to find out where Damon would be tonight. She took a purple dress out of her wardrobe and put on white heels. She put all her school stuff in a white bag before she walked down the stairs. The living room was clean, this time, which surprised Julie. Robert wasn’t sleeping on the couch either. She took two apples, put one in her bag and started to eat the other before she left for school.  
At school, some students were still preparing the dance. They were painting a bus in the color of the 60s and Julie would bet anyone that Caroline was in charge of it all. Even though she arrived on time, she didn’t see Bonnie nor Elena. She didn’t see any of them during the breaks either but finally, during lunch, she saw Bonnie and Elena were eating at a table in the cafeteria so she decided to join them.  
“Hey, guys,” she said, shy.  
“Julie, hi!” Bonnie seemed happy to see her.  
“Hey, Julie. It’s nice to see you,” Elena said. She looked uncomfortable.  
“Can I join you?”  
“Of course,” Elena nodded, surprised. Julie smiled and put her plate on the table and sat down.  
“Thanks.”  
“I thought…” Elena started to say but stopped. Julie frowned and gave her a puzzled look. “I thought you were angry with me.”  
Was she? Angry? Julie didn’t know, exactly. She was too preoccupied with Elijah.  
“No,” Julie shook her head. “I understand why you did what you did.” Elena gave her a small smile.  
“Anyway,” Bonnie said. “Elena is now the owner of Stefan’s house.”  
“What?” Julie raised her eyebrows, confused.  
“Yeah,” Elena nodded. “Stefan and Damon though it would be safe to have a place where vampires couldn’t come and go as they pleased. So now, the only vampires that are allowed there are them and Caroline.”  
“Smart,” Julie was impressed. It was a good idea.  
“So…” Bonnie started to say but she was interrupted by a girl Julie recognized to be in Bonnie and Elena’s class.  
“Hey, Elena, there you are,” the girl said. “Okay, this is gonna sound freaky but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you’re going to the dance tonight.”  
Elena frowned and looked at Bonnie and they both chuckled.  
“Tell him she has a boyfriend,” Bonnie said.  
“You could at least meet him,” the girl insisted. “He’ll be at the dance tonight. Look for him. His name’s Klaus.”  
The three girls lost their smile. They weren’t amused anymore.  
“I’m sorry. What did you just say?” Elena asked, scared.  
“His name’s Klaus,” the girl repeated. “I know the name’s stupid but I swear he’s hot!”  
Julie tried to stay calm and not panic.  
“Where is he?” Bonnie asked, trying to stay calm too. “Is he here?” she looked around.  
The girl didn’t even look around. “I don’t know,” she answered. She looked confused.  
“She’s been compelled,” Bonnie said.  
“But he wants to know if you’ll save him the last dance. How cute is that?”  
Elena stared at the girl, terrified. And honestly, Julie understood the feeling.  
“We need to go,” Bonnie said.  
“Go? Where?” Julie asked.  
“We need to tell Stefan and Damon Klaus is here, we need to be ready for tonight.”  
“Okay. Be careful,” Julie told them as they were ready to leave. “Please, let me know what happens.”  
“Of course,” Elena said, grabbing her bag.  
“Maybe you shouldn’t go to the dance tonight,” Bonnie told her.  
“I wasn’t planning on it.”  
That’s right. Now that they knew Klaus would be at the dance she knew Damon would be there too. She knew he would do anything to protect Elena. Which meant tonight was the night. She was going to resurrect Elijah.


	9. Back To Life

Julie was feeling nervous. She was pacing in her room, waiting for Bonnie to text her they were leaving for the dance. She had cleaned the already cleaned house, taken a shower and done her homework. She was ready to leave. The dance was supposed to start in two hours now and she had no idea what to do until then. But she was startled when someone slammed the front door so hard it made the entire house shake. It couldn’t be Robert, it was way too early for him to be back from work. She opened her bedroom door and silently stepped out of her room. She heard a big noise, like a stair fell down on the floor, coming from the kitchen. She walked down the stairs, hesitant, just to see her stepfather leaning on the counter’s kitchen, obviously drunk. He was so drunk he lost his balance and fell. Julie sighed and shook her head before she walked in the kitchen to help him back on his feet. He stank of alcohol and it wasn’t even 7 yet. As soon as she placed her hands on him, he pushed her away. He grabbed the counter with his left hand to support himself up and growled. She doubted he knew where he was. It had happened before. Which meant he didn’t know who she was and it wasn’t going to end well for her. He turned around and she tried to get away but he lost his balance again and fell just next to her. He put his hands on the worktop and almost knocked his head against the shelf above and managed to stay on his feet. He tried to push Julie away from him with his left arm and his hand met with her face. It happened so fast she never saw it coming. She cried out as she fell on the floor. She placed her hand over what she knew was going to turn into a black eye. She stayed on the floor and moved away so he could pass. He walked in the living room and let himself fall on the couch. Julie was trying not to cry but tears were filling her eyes and she couldn’t stop them from falling. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears off her cheeks before she got up and went back to her room. It had been a while since she had had bruises like that. But if she needed she still remembered how to cover them up with makeup. She walked in her bathroom to see how she looked like. There weren’t any bruises yet but her eye was red and it still hurt. She sighed and looked down. Next time, she’ll let him pass out on the floor and won’t intervene.   
Finally, her phone rang. She walked back in her room and saw Bonnie’s text saying they were all at the dance. Including Damon. Julie took a deep breath. It was time. She took her bag that was laying on her bed and rushed downstairs and out of the house. She got into her car and drove to the Salvatores. She hoped she wasn’t going to have to break a window to enter but the front door was open. She slowly stepped in the house and silently closed the door.  
“Hello?” she called, to see if anyone was there. But no one answered. She took a deep breath, relieved. She walked in the hallway and looked around the house. She stepped in what seemed to be the living room. She had to focus. It wasn’t the time to look around and get lost in this huge house. She stepped out and followed a small hallway. She found stairs at the end and walked down in what she hoped would be the basement. She stepped in a cold room where she saw a freezer and other broken old things but no trace of Elijah. She looked around and walked in the room a little more. She saw a door to her right and opened it.   
There he was. She stepped in the room and saw Elijah lying on the dirty ground, eyes closed and immobile.  
“Oh my God,” she breathed out when she saw the horrible state in which he was. What she was seeing took her breath away. She was feeling sick but also angry. She rushed to his sides and kneeled next to him.   
He looked dead. But if she removed the dagger from his heart, he would come back. That’s what he had told her and that’s what she hoped would happen. She placed both her hands around the dagger and pulled it out. She watched his face closely but nothing seemed to happen. “Come on,” she whispered. How long would it take for him to come back? Would he even come back? She hoped they would be gone before the Salvatores come back from the dance.  
She sat down on the dusty floor and brought her knees to her chest. She was still holding the dagger in her right hand. She couldn’t move her eyes from his face, waiting for something, anything, to happen. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was making a mistake. Was she doing the right thing? Were Elena and the others right? She thought back to that night when she had the accident. When he found her and brought her home. When he kissed her. When she fell asleep in his arms. Maybe she wasn’t thinking straight. Maybe she was stupid to think he cared about her.   
Finally, she saw him move a finger. His skin was taking a normal shade again. Julie was relieved he seemed to be coming back. She placed a hand on the left side of his face and started to stroke his cheek with her thumb.   
“Elijah?”  
He opened his eyes as soon as his name came out from her lips. The following second, he gasped, moved his eyes around the room and stopped on Julie. He frowned when he saw her but then he gasped again like he couldn’t breathe.   
“What’s wrong?” she asked. She didn’t understand what was happening. The next second he was in the doorway. Julie gasped and jumped on her feet, startled by his sudden movement.  
“What’s wrong?” she repeated a little louder. She took one step towards him but when she reached the door, he was gone. She rushed to the stairs and tried to follow him but he was going too fast. She walked up the stairs and saw the front door was wide opened. Elijah was standing outside, trying to catch his breath. “Are you okay?” she asked as she reached the door. He looked up at her and she saw anger on his face.  
“What happened?” he asked.  
“Uh…Elena, uh,” she looked down at the dagger she was still holding. “She killed you,” she said, handing the dagger to him. He looked at her, suspicious, but took it.  
“Where are they, now?” he asked.  
“There’s a dance at school. Klaus is there.”  
Elijah frowned. “Klaus is in here?”  
“Yes,” she nodded. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking him up and down.  
“I wasn’t invited into the house. It rejected me,” he explained.  
“Oh…right. Elena became the owner of this house this morning,” she told him. “They thought it’ll be safer.” He looked at her while she was speaking and she looked up when he didn’t answer and saw him frowned.  
“You’re hurt,” he said, approaching his hand to her face and passing his thumb over her cheekbone, where her stepfather had hit her earlier. He didn’t mean to hurt her but his gentle touch was painful anyway. She moved away and looked down.  
“We need to go,” she said, walking away from him. But after two steps, she ran into him. She gasped, startled.  
“Who did this to you?” he asked with an angry tone. She looked up at him, wondering if he was worried about her.  
“We can’t stay here,” she said, walking pass him. But he took her wrist and brought her back towards him. She sighed and stared at the ground.  
“You need to change,” she said, trying to get her wrist back but he wouldn’t let go. “I fell in the stairs,” she lied. He raised his eyebrows and she could tell by his silence that he didn’t believe her and that he wanted an answer. “I know, it’s humiliating,” she said, still avoiding eye contact. “We really need to go.” He frowned and stared at her in silence for a few minutes. She looked up, hesitant. She gave him a sad look and he understood she wasn’t going to tell him anything. He sighed and let go of her wrist.  
“They don’t know you are here,” he guessed, putting his hand in his pockets.  
“No. I came as soon as I could,” she told him. She walked towards her car but he didn’t follow her right away. He watched her, curious.  
“Why would you help me?” he asked.  
She opened her car door but didn’t get in and looked up at him. “You saved my life,” she reminded him. “And…”  
“And?” he took one step towards the car, getting one hand out of his pocket and placing it on top of the car, looking straight at her.  
“We need to go,” she repeated before she got in the car. He frowned and sat in the passenger seat.  
“Whose car is this?” he asked.  
“My mother’s,” she answered, turning the key. She didn’t look at him, she focused on the road. “Do you have an apartment, a house, here?” she asked.  
“I do,” he nodded. “Why would you betray your friends for me?” he asked. Julie’s eyes moved from the road to him then back on the road.  
“I told you. They’re not my friends,” she said. “Where do you live?” Elijah told her what she needed to know before he asked again:  
“Who hurt you?”  
“Why do you wanna know?” she asked without looking away from the road. Her question surprised him. She looked up at him when he didn’t answer. Her eyes met his as he was already looking at her.  
“Why don’t you want me to know?” His question surprised her. She didn’t answer either. “If you don’t focus on the road you’ll get into another accident,” he said. She put her attention back on the road and hoped he didn’t see her blush.  
“They can’t know I helped you,” she said.   
“They’re not your friends but you don’t want them to know you betrayed them?”  
“I don’t care about that,” she said.  
“Then why?”  
She didn’t answer right away, embarrassed. “I’m afraid of Damon,” she admitted in a whisper after a moment of silence.  
“You don’t have to worry about him,” he said. Julie frowned at his comment.  
“What is that supposed to mean?”  
“I doubt they’ll survive Klaus tonight,” he merely answered.  
She immediately turned her attention back to him. “What? But…” Julie knew Klaus was dangerous, but she had to admit she had been focus on Elijah and haven’t thought about what would happen to the others.  
“And even if he does survive,” he started to say. “Don’t worry about it.”  
Julie frowned, confused but didn’t pay attention to it. “Do you think Klaus is going to kill them?” she asked, worried.  
“Probably,” he nodded. “He’ll kill those he doesn’t need.” She looked at him with sad eyes. She had a knot in her stomach. She turned her attention back on the road, worried about Bonnie.  
“Is he stronger than you?” she tried to keep a steady voice but failed.  
Elijah sighed. “We cannot be killed,” he answered.  
“He’s like you?”  
“Yes,” he nodded.  
“Is he older than you?”  
“No,” he said. He wasn’t looking at her. She kept looking at him every time she would ask a question but he wouldn’t move his eyes from the road.  
“So, you’re stronger than him?”  
“No. He’s only a few years younger than me.”  
“A few…like a few centuries?”  
Elijah chuckled. “Like a few years,” he said, finally looking at her. He saw she wasn’t amused and stopped smiling. “Klaus is my brother,” he told her and her eyes grew big. She stared at him, forgetting she was at the wheel of a moving car. “Watch the road,” he said, not moving his eyes from her.  
She took a deep breath and looked back at the road. “Klaus is your brother?” she asked in a whisper, confused.  
“Yes.”  
“But…” she shook her head. “I thought you wanted to kill him,” she said, looking back at him.  
“I do.” She saw on his face he wasn’t proud of it. Maybe she saw a little sadness, too. She focused on the road, more confused than ever.  
“But…why?” Elijah sighed but didn’t answer. “I’m sorry.” Her apology surprised him. “It’s none of my business, I guess…” Elijah wondered about his brother. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to include Julie in their problems. He knew how Klaus could get. He was only putting her in danger. “Is this your house?” she asked after she stopped the car in front of a house at least as big as the Salvatores’. There were no other house around.   
“Yes,” he said, getting out of the car.   
Julie didn’t know what to do. Should she follow him? Should she go home? Was it even safe to go inside? But a minute hadn’t passed yet that her door opened. She turned the key and stopped the car and got out, avoiding eye contact. She closed the car door and finally looked up and he could see the bruise was still there. He placed his hand on her cheek and stroke her hurt cheekbone with his thumb. She looked down and took one step back.  
“It’s nothing,” she told him. “You need to change,” she reminded him. He sighed and she knew he wasn’t going to let it go. She followed him inside without a word.  
“Feel free to look around,” he said, walking up the stairs.   
She watched him disappear in a room on the first floor and then looked around. She wandered in the house but it was empty. They were very little furniture and she guessed he didn’t plan on staying here for long. After a while she ended up in the kitchen and started looking around the shelves. She was getting hungry and they weren’t any food anywhere. She decided to look in the fridge but it was empty. The door of the fridge closed on its own which startled her.  
“I’m sorry,” Elijah said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He had changed clothes. He was wearing a cleaned black suit and it looked like he had taken a shower.  
Julie cleared her throat and realized she had been acting really rude, looking around his fridge.  
“I’m sorry, I was hungry,” she said.   
“I’m sorry. I haven’t had the time to do the groceries,” he said which made her laugh.  
“I’m sorry,” she giggled. Elijah smiled, enjoying the sweet sound of her laugh. “This is not funny,” she admitted, trying to stop laughing. She looked up and saw he was looking at her which made her blush. She calmed down and her face took a serious look again. “Are you? Hungry?” she asked and he frowned and looked down. She was asking a good question. But he didn’t want to scare her.  
“I’m fine,” he said. She knew he was lying. She could see his eyes fall on her neck every now and then.  
“Maybe I should leave,” she said with a low voice. She started to walk away but he put his hand on her arm to stop her. He could hear her heartbeat and sighed.  
“You’re scared of me,” he said.  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking down. There was something strange and confusing about him. She was scared of him and they both knew it. But when she was with him, she felt like she couldn’t be safer.  
He removed his hand from her arm and brought it to her face. He slowly lifted her chin with his fingers to make her look up at him but she looked away. He placed his hand on her cheek and took one step and put his free hand on her waist. He brought her to him and she instinctively put her hands on his chest, looking up at him. She saw he was looking at her lips and her heart was beating faster and faster. He leaned slowly and she didn’t stop him. Her eyes fell on his lips too and she closed them when their lips touched.   
The kiss was different than their first one. She moved her hands on his chest to his shoulders and he moved his hand from her waist to her lower back and he deepened the kiss and she let him. All this was new to her but when he was kissing her she forgot about everything else. It was just him and her and his lips on hers and his hands on her body. She moved her hands on both sides of his face and he broke the kiss. She opened her eyes and saw he was grinning which made her blush. She looked down and smiled and he kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes when he kissed her lips again, then her cheek, then her jaw. She had one hand on the back of his neck and her other hand on his waist. He started to place kisses on her neck and she opened her eyes when she felt him stop. His lips were grazing her skin and she moved her hand on his shoulder to make him react. She could hear him breathe heavily. But then, she gasped as she could feel his teeth grazing her skin. But he didn’t bite her. He kissed her neck and stepped back. She immediately brought her hand to her neck and she tried to catch his gaze but his eyes were closed. He looked like he was in pain. She took one step and brought a hand to the left side of his face. He opened his eyes and fell into her gaze. She tiptoed to place a kiss on his lips, placing her free hand on his chest.  
“Does it hurt?” she asked in a whisper. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t speak any louder. He looked at her but didn’t answer. She could see it in his eyes that he was trying hard not to hurt her. “If you need blood…”  
“No,” he cut her off.  
“I want to help you,” she told him.  
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.  
“I know.”  
Her answer surprised him. He stayed silent for a minute, falling deeper into her eyes. He was hungry. He needed blood, he wasn’t going to deny it. He’d been killed twice this week and he hadn’t drink any blood in days. Even though he could perfectly restrain himself, she was a temptation he could not resist.  
“I trust you,” she said, not moving her eyes from his. Her gaze was like hypnosis and he couldn’t resist to kiss her again. He placed his right hand on her lower back and brought her to his chest. She put her left hand on his arm and her other hand on his cheek, kissing him back.  
“Are you sure?” he asked. She didn’t say anything and nodded. He could see she was scared but he couldn’t resist to taste her blood. He lifted her off her feet and she gasped, surprised. He sat her down on the counter and kissed her jaw before he brought his lips back to her neck. “Are you ready?” he whispered in her ear but she couldn’t speak because of the knot in her throat so she nodded to answer. She puts her hands on his waist, waiting for the pain to come. He bit her as gently as possible. She shot her eyes closed and gasped but no sound came out of her mouth. It hurt a little but it was bearable. Her blood was by far the most delicious he had ever tasted. If he had had any doubt before, now he was sure that she wasn’t human. He didn’t drink as much as he wanted to nor as much as he needed to but he didn’t want to hurt her anymore and he stopped. He made sure he had no blood on his mouth and wiped the blood off her neck before he bit his wrist.  
“You don’t have to…” she started to say but he cut her off.  
“Please. Drink,” he told her. She looked at him, hesitant, before she took his wrist and brought it to her mouth. He stopped her when the marks on her neck disappeared. “How are you feeling?” he asked.  
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Are you okay? Are you feeling better?”  
“Yes. Thank you,” he nodded. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her off the counter. He brought her to his chest and she hugged him back. He rested his chin on the top of her head and she buried her head against his chest. She was feeling so tired she could have fallen asleep in arms.  
“Do you want to go home?” he asked.  
“No,” she merely answered. “Do you want me to leave?” she asked, worried, looking up.  
“No,” he said before he kissed the top of her head. It had been a while since Elijah had found someone to care about. Klaus had made his happiness impossible. The possibility that his brother could discover that he cared about Julie worried him. But he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. With luck, Klaus would be as fascinated and curious as he was to find out what kind of creature she was.


	10. Betrayal

Elijah was lying on his bed but he wasn’t sleeping. He had been dead for days, he had slept enough. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Julie who was sleeping in his arms. He focused on her breathing and on her steady heartbeat. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. Every time he would move she would snuggle up to him a bit more. Sunrise was lighting the room and he watched her wake up slowly. He felt her hand move on his chest and he placed his hand over it and intertwined his fingers with hers. She sighed, barely awake and burying her head against his chest a little more.  
“Good morning,” he said and she finally opened her eyes. She was confused for a split second but then she remembered where she was and who she was with. She looked up and instantly blushed. She was embarrassed, wondering about what her hair looked like.  
“Hi,” she said, shyly.  
“How did you sleep?”  
“Great,” she answered in a whisper. He smiled and leaned to kiss her. She kissed him back and then she rested her head back on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and moved his free hand on her waist. “Maybe I should call Elena…”  
“She’s alive,” he said.  
“I know…He needs her but…what about the others?”  
He sighed and sat up. She propped herself on her elbow and she watched him take her phone from the night table. “It keeps buzzing,” he said, handing her the phone.  
“What?” she said, taking the phone and sitting up. He brought her to his chest and rested his chin on the top of her hair.  
“Somebody’s been trying to call you,” he said.  
“It’s Elena,” she breathed out. “Everybody’s fine,” she sighed, relieved. “And, you’re gone. They’re asking me if I saw you.”  
“What are you going to tell them?”  
She didn’t answer right away. She put the phone down on the night table and rested her head against his chest. He lied back down on the bed, placing his arms around her.  
“It’s so early,” she said.  
“We can’t stay in bed all day,” he chuckled. “I’m going to have to take care of Klaus.”  
She frowned and looked up. “You still want to kill your brother?” He sighed.  
“You don’t want me to?”  
“Well…He’s your brother…Whatever he did…Maybe, he’s sorry?”  
“Klaus is never sorry. He never learns from the mistakes he makes,” he told her. “What if he wasn’t my brother? Would you still have a problem with it?”  
“With killing?” she asked and he nodded. “Yes.”  
He brushed his knuckles on her cheekbone. “It’s black”, he changed the subject.  
She looked down and took his hand in hers. “I know.”  
“Does it hurt?” he asked.  
“It’s fine,” she lied and shrugged. She laid her head back on his chest and intertwined her fingers with his again. “What are you gonna do?”  
“About what?”  
“About Klaus.”  
He sighed. “Do you know if they have any plans to defeat him?”  
“No. I told you. They’re not my friends.”  
“Then, first, I’m going to find out what they’re planning to do.”  
That worried her. Last time he went to talk to them, he got killed. “There is nothing that can kill you, is there? Nothing at all?”  
“No. Nothing at all.” Julie sighed, half relieved. “Don’t worry,” he told her.  
“What about Elena?” she asked. “You said there might be a way for her to survive the sacrifice.”  
“Yes, there is one way.” She looked up at him. “Do you want me to help her?”  
Julie sighed. “What I want if for no one to die.”  
“Klaus needs to die. He’s dangerous.”  
“That’s what they kept telling me about you,” Julie told him. “He’s your brother. There must be a part of you that doesn’t want him dead.”  
Elijah looked in Julie’s eyes and got lost in them, wondering how it was possible for Julie to be so innocent.  
“Klaus isn’t my only siblings,” he told her. “I had a sister, Rebekah. And two other brothers, Finn and Kol. Klaus killed them.”  
“Wait…There is a whole family of Originals?”  
“There was,” he sighed.  
“How did you become a vampire?” she asked him the question for the second time. The first time, Bonnie had interrupted them.  
“It’s a long story,” he said.  
“But you used to be human?”  
“Yes. My siblings and I, we were humans, we are the oldest vampires in the world.”  
Julie had a sad look on her face. “But…If they were like you…They can’t be killed.”  
“He daggered them. They’re gone.”  
“I don’t believe that,” she said, sitting up. “Nobody can kill their siblings.”  
Elijah sighed and sat up. “Klaus is a monster,” he told her. “My siblings are gone.”  
Julie looked down, sad and unconvinced.  
“How can you help Elena?” she asked with a low voice.  
“500 hundred years ago, when Klaus wanted to use Katherine, I tried to find a way to save her. I asked witches for help.”  
Julie frowned and looked up at him. “You tried to save Katherine? Why?”  
Elijah sighed. “Katherine and I…”  
“I actually don’t wanna know,” she stopped him and got up. “I need to go home.”  
“You’re leaving?”  
“Yes,” she sighed. She put her shoes on and looked around to see if she was forgetting anything. “I have stuffs to do.” She needed to see what damage Robert had done to the house drunk. She had to clean it up before he came back home tonight.  
“Very well,” he said, getting up. “Please, be careful,” he told her, placing his hands around her waist. She looked up and smiled. She placed her hands on the back of his neck.  
“I’m just gonna be at home,” she told him.  
“Your home where any vampire can come in,” he reminded her. “You should think about getting an alive owner to your house.”  
“I’ll be out of this house once I’m out of high school.”  
“Until then, Klaus is in town,” he said. She looked down and he could hear her heartbeat getting faster. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek.  
“I’ll be fine.”  
He grinned and leaned to kiss her. She slipped her fingers in his hair and deepened the kiss. She didn’t want to leave. She was afraid he would get killed again. Of course, she knew he was powerful and he was perfectly capable of defending himself but she was scared of losing him again.  
“What are you gonna do?” she asked.  
Elijah needed blood, that’s what he was going to do. “I’ll be here,” he said.   
“Okay,” she kissed his cheek again before she took her phone from the nightstand. “See you later then.”  
Julie drove home and she was relieved to see her stepfather’s car wasn’t in the driveway. When she entered the house, she sighed and rolled her eyes, seeing the mess in the kitchen and in the living room. She cleaned it all and about an hour later she stepped out of the shower and got dressed and applied make up on her black eye. It was like it never happened. She checked her phone and saw more texts from Elena, asking her if she had anything to do with Elijah’s disappearance and to warn her not to trust Alaric as Klaus had taken over his body.  
“What?” she breathed out when she learnt that her history teacher was possessed with her boyfriend’s brother. Boyfriend.  
She walked down the stairs and she called Elijah to let him know about Alaric. But as soon as he picked up, her front door flew open and someone pushed her against the wall. He only had time to say her name before the phone fell on the floor. Damon had his left hand on her neck and he didn’t look happy.  
“What did you do?” he growled. She looked at him with big eyes, scratching his hand with her nails, to make him let go of her. He was strangling her so hard, not only she couldn’t breathe but a piercing sound was rezoning in her ears.  
“Damon let her go!” she heard Stefan order his brother but she couldn’t see anything.  
“She took the dagger out, she’s dead,” he told his brother.  
“You don’t know if she did and nobody’s dying here, Damon,” his brother said. “”Let her go, now!”  
“No,” he growled.  
But suddenly, the pressure disappeared. She fell as soon as Damon let go of her. She gasped and tears started to fell down her cheeks. She started sobbing and tried to catch her breath. She brought her hands to her soaring throat and looked up to see Elijah holding Damon by the throat.  
“Oh my God, Julie,” Elena breathed out when she saw her on the floor after she rushed inside the house. “Damon!”  
“Let him go, Elijah!” Stefan ordered.  
“Why would I do that?” the Original vampire said with a furious tone.  
“Elijah,” Julie managed to say despite her hurt throat, with a trembling voice.   
The vampire turned his head to see Julie crying against the wall. He sighed and threw Damon across the room. He knew Julie didn’t like it when people died and he didn’t want to kill someone in front of her.  
“Leave,” he ordered Damon. He helped Julie up and she buried his head against his chest. She had been right to be afraid of Damon. Stefan helped his brother up and asked him to get out the house but he refused. Julie wanted to ask all of them to leave but she couldn’t speak.  
“Julie, I’m so sorry,” Elena apologized. Julie gave her a disappointed look which told the doppelganger that her apology wasn’t accepted. The Gilbert girl looked up at Elijah, a little scared.  
“I want to make a deal,” she said. Julie was stunned. Did she really think Elijah was stupid enough to trust her again? “Damon wasn’t supposed to follow me,” she said, looking back at Julie. “I’ll tell you anything you want but you have to give me your word,” she told Elijah, looking up at him.  
“Your ability to make demands has long passed,” he answered.  
“No demands,” Elena said. “I’m offering you my help. And in return, I want yours.”  
Julie stepped back, leaving Elijah’s arms, which surprised him. She gave an angry look to Elena before she looked down and wiped the tears off her cheek. She let out a cry when she hurt herself, forgetting she had a black eye.  
“Get out of my house,” she said with a broken voice.  
“We want the same thing. Klaus dead,” she said. “We’re gonna need each other’s help.”  
“And why should I even consider this?” Elijah asked.  
“Because you need my help to kill Klaus. And I need you.”  
“This is a terrible idea,” Damon said, appearing behind Elena with his brother. When Julie saw him, she got closer to Elijah who placed his right arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Elena had a weird look on her face whereas Damon looked disgusted and Stefan surprised.  
“Damon,” Elena sighed. “Leave.”  
“No way,” Damon said, loud.  
“You can’t trust him, Elena. He’ll use you to get to Klaus,” Stefan said.  
“We can trust him,” she answered. “He’s a noble man, he lives by a code of honor. He knows that I’d be incredibly stupid to betray him again.”  
“Or incredibly stupid to trust him again,” Damon said.  
Julie looked up and whispered, because she couldn’t talk any louder, “Get them out of my house,” she told him and he nodded.  
“Miss Gilbert and I need to talk. And I believe the owner of this house wants you out.”  
“I’m not leaving Elena with you,” Damon said.  
“That’s not for you to decide,” Elena told him. “Leave. You’ve done enough,” she said, angry. Damon didn’t want to leave and Stefan was hesitant. “It’s okay,” she told her boyfriend. “I won’t get hurt, he needs me,” she repeated.  
Stefan sighed and nodded.  
“What? No!” Damon strongly disagreed.  
“Damon,” Stefan sighed, annoyed. “We’re leaving.”  
Once the two brothers were gone Elijah and Elena stared at each other in silence for a while. He remembered that Julie wanted to help Elena and that’s what he was going to do. It’s not like he couldn’t anyway. And Elena was right, he needed her as much as she needed him.  
“Fine. Let’s talk.”


	11. Story Time

“So I assume that the Martin witches are no longer with us?” Elijah asked Elena after they all settled in Julie’s living room. Elena sat on the armchair at the right of the couch where Julie and Elijah were sitting.  
“No,” Elena said. “I’m sorry.”  
“And Katerina? She would have been released from my compulsion when I died.”  
“Klaus took her,” Elena told him. “We think that she may be dead.”  
“I doubt that. Not Klaus’ style,” he said. “Death would be too easy for her after what she did.”  
Julie brought her knees to her chest and sighed. They all had tried to make her understand that Klaus was a dangerous monster and that killing him was the best thing to do, but she couldn’t stop thinking that there must be another way to fix the situation.  
“I don’t understand. You say that you want Klaus dead but you still made Katherine payed for betraying him,” Elena said.  
“I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay,” he told the Gilbert girl and Julie looked up at him, curious. “There was a time I would’ve done anything for my brother.”  
“What?” Elena was confused.  
“Klaus is my brother,” he repeated.  
“I heard that. I’m still processing,” she shook her head.  
“Yes. I’m a little behind on the times but I believe the term you’re searching for is “OMG”,” he said which made Julie laugh. Elena was still trying to understand the situation. “So, as you’ve seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree. A tree my family made sure burned.”  
“That’s where the white ash for the daggers comes from,” Elena said.  
“Yes,” Elijah nodded, leaning back in the couch. “The witches won’t allow anything truly immortal to walk the Earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain balance.”  
Julie was listening carefully to what the vampire was saying. She realized she knew so little about the supernatural world and she was dating a vampire. She had to agree with Bonnie on this one, she would be safer if she knew more.  
“So, if the sun can’t kill an Original why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the Sun and the Moon curse?” Elena asked.  
“Right,” Elijah smiled. He seemed amused. “The Curse of the Sun and the Moon…It’s all so biblical sounding, don’t you think?”  
“What’s so funny?” Elena asked.  
“The Curse of the Sun and the Moon is fake. It doesn’t exist,” he said.  
“What?” Elena was now more confused than ever.  
“Klaus and I faked the Sun and the Moon Curse dating back over a thousand years.”  
“But…if there is no curse…”  
“There is a curse,” he cut her off. “Just not that one. The real one is much worse. It’s a curse placed on Klaus.”  
“What are you talking about?” Elena sighed.  
“Klaus has been trying to break it for the last thousand years and you are his only hope.”  
Elena’s phone started buzzing and she sighed when she took it and saw it was Stefan calling her.  
“Stefan,” she sighed. But then, she frowned and had a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?” Julie put her feet back on the floor and waited to know if everything was alright. “I’ll be right there,” she said. “Klaus went after Jenna, I have to go. I’ll be back,” she told Elijah and Julie, getting up and rushing out of the house.  
“I hope she’s okay,” Julie whispered, worried. She couldn’t talk louder as her throat still ached.  
“Klaus will make sure Elena won’t try anything to escape the sacrifice,” he sighed, looking down at her. “Are you okay?”  
Julie brought her hands to her neck and looked down. “No,” she answered with a trembling voice. She could still feel Damon’s hands on her throat and his threat echoed in her head. Elijah placed his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. She buried her head against his chest and took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears that were filling her eyes from falling.  
“I’m sorry I was too late,” he said before he kissed the top of her head.  
“You weren’t,” she said. “Or I’d be dead.” Elijah sighed, still angry at Damon.  
“I should’ve killed him.”  
“No,” Julie looked up at him. “No killing.” Elijah sighed again.  
“You won’t survive in this world if you can’t recognize monsters,” he said.  
“Damon can’t be all bad,” she said. “Just like your brother.”  
“Klaus is worse than Damon. There’s no one more dangerous than my brother on Earth.”  
“Dangerous doesn’t mean he’s a monster” she told him. “You’re dangerous. Stefan is dangerous. You’re not monsters.” Elijah closed his eyes and sighed again. Whatever he said, she wouldn’t understand. He kissed her forehead and brought her back to his chest.  
“You need to be more careful,” he told her. He didn’t want to scare her but she needed to know how dangerous his brother was.  
They stayed silent for a while, enjoying being in each other’s arms until Julie’s curiosity broke the silence.  
“Does it hurt?” she asked. “Being daggered, I mean,” she said.  
“Yes,” he merely answered.  
“And you’re really…dead?”  
“I am,” he told her.  
“Can Klaus be daggered?”  
“No.”  
“But…if he’s like you…than…why not?”  
“This is the next part of the story,” he told her. “Let’s wait for Miss Gilbert to come back.”  
Julie took Elijah’s hand in hers and sighed. “Okay,” she sighed. Her throat still hurt and she tried to distract herself from the pain but the only thing else on her mind was Klaus and the sacrifice and that didn’t calm her down.  
“People are gonna die, aren’t they?” she asked next.  
“Probably.”  
“And Elena?”  
“I don’t know,” he said.  
Julie got up, suddenly. “So…Klaus is just gonna kill Elena to break this curse and…he doesn’t care if she dies?!”  
“Klaus doesn’t care about anything but himself,” Elijah told her before he got up and placed his hands on her arms. “The world is more complicated and dark than you think,” he said. “If you’re not more careful, you’ll get hurt.”  
Julie was looking at him with big eyes. He stroke her cheek with his knuckles and looked at her with sad eyes. He didn’t know why he was attracted to her. Sure, she was beautiful and all perfect but she was a 17 years old human who didn’t know the first thing about the world she lived in. And he wondered why she wasn’t running away from him screaming.  
But they were interrupted by Elena who slammed the front door and entered the living room like she owned the place. Julie frowned and she would have told her “Don’t you knock?” if only she could have talked. Elijah let go of Julie’s arms and turned to face the doppelganger.  
“Tell me,” she said, looking right at him. “What is Klaus’ curse?” she asked, removing her jacket and throwing it on the coffee table.  
Elijah didn’t answer right away. “Please,” he raised his hand toward the armchair were she was sitting earlier. “You know, my family was quite close,” he said. “But Klaus and my father did not get on too well,” he took Julie’s hand and sat with her on the couch. “When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father’s son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before, this was her darkest secret. Klaus was from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother’s lover and his entire family.” Julie was feeling sorry for Klaus. She knew nobody could be a monster or act like one without a “good” reason. “Not realizing, of course that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day.”  
Both Julie and Elena were confused. “A war between the species?” Elena asked.  
“The vampires,” Elijah started to say.  
“And the werewolves,” Julie breathed out. It all made sense now. Klaus was half werewolf and half vampire, that’s why he couldn’t be daggered.  
“Exactly,” Elijah nodded.  
“So, Klaus’ real father was from a werewolf bloodline?” Elena asked. “What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?”  
“He’s both,” Elijah said. “A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother’s werewolf side would become dormant.”  
“That’s the curse Klaus wants to break?” Elena asked.  
“He wants to trigger that part of him that’s werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He’d build his own race endangering not just vampires, but everyone.”  
“But you helped him,” Elena said.  
“I helped him because I loved him,” he said and Julie looked up at him. “That’s changed now. He must die.” Julie still didn’t understand how he could say that about his own brother. What did Klaus do to turn his brother against him? What had changed?  
“We have the dagger. We can stop him,” Elena said.  
“When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals,” Elijah told her. “An Original can’t be killed by anything but white oak ash on silver dagger. See the conundrum? The dagger does not work.”  
“What are you saying? Klaus can’t be killed?” Elena asked.  
“There’s one way to kill any supernatural species. At the hands of the servants of nature themselves,” he said.  
“A witch. If they can channel that much power,” Elena sighed. “But it would kill them.”  
“The curse must be broken during the full moon, when Klaus is in transition. That’s when he’ll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power can kill Klaus, he told her.  
“What if I told you that I knew a witch that could channel that much power?” she asked and Julie frowned. She immediately thought about Bonnie. Elena had just said she couldn’t survive it, so why would she tell him that?  
“Then I would tell you there’s one more thing that you should know,” he said. “500 years ago I asked the witches if there was a way to spare the doppelganger.”  
“You found a way to save the life of the doppelganger?” she asked, hopeful.  
“Yes, Elena. I did. Unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first,” he said. “I believe you already know how that played out,” he said.  
“I don’t,” Julie shrugged and Elijah chuckled.  
“That’s a story for another time,” he said, squeezing her hand. He took Elena’s jacket from the coffee table and handed it to her. “Let’s go.”  
“Where?” Julie frowned.  
“We’re making a deal,” Elena said. “Now, we have to tell Stefan…and Damon.” Julie shivered at the name of the vampire. She didn’t want to go to his house. In fact, she never wanted to see him again.  
“Come. I will not let anything happen to you,” Elijah told her and she gave him a small smile before he kissed her forehead.  
They drove to the Salvatores’ house and Julie really didn’t want to go inside. She took a deep breath before she got out of the car. Elijah was already at her sides and she took his hand and stayed close to him.  
“Calm down,” he told her, looking down at her. He brushed his knuckles on her bruised neck before he put his lips on hers. She kissed him back and slowly relaxed. Elena wasn’t far from their car and she cleared her throat to remind them they weren’t alone. “You’re gonna be okay,” he told Julie.  
“I think I’d rather stay in the car,” she told him. Elijah sighed, but nodded.  
“I understand,” he said and kissed her temple before he walked in the house with Elena.  
Julie sighed and opened the car door but before she could get in, a terrible headache made her cry out and pass out on the ground.


	12. K

When Julie woke up she was confused for a second but then she just got scared. She was lying on a couch and found herself in an apartment she didn’t know. She quickly sat up and looked around and saw Elena was in the kitchen, a bottle of alcohol in her hand.  
“Elena?” Julie frowned, surprised by her hair and her outfit. Her voice was still broken and her throat hurt.  
“Wrong again,” she rolled her eyes.  
“Katherine,” Julie breathed out, now even more scared than before. If Katherine was there it meant she had been taken by Klaus.  
“You’ve been here all night,” Katherine said. “I thought you’d never wake up,” she told her as she was walking towards her.  
“What? What time is it?”  
“It’s around 11,” she sighed, letting herself fall in the armchair across from the couch.  
“What am I doing here?”  
“I don’t know,” Katherine shrugged. “Though if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because of your boyfriend.”  
Julie frowned. “My boyfriend?”  
Katherine chuckled. “Elijah,” she told Julie like it was obvious before she brought the bottle of alcohol to her lips.  
“I’m here because of Elijah?” Julie asked, confused.  
“You’re leverage, honey,” Katherine told her.  
“Leverage? For what?” she asked, scared and with a broken voice, only a vampire could’ve heard her.  
“For Klaus’ survival,” she said, annoyed. “Elijah won’t kill Klaus if he thinks you’re in danger. It’s just the way he is,” she rolled her eyes. “What happened to you, anyway?” she grimaced.  
“Damon tried to kill me…” she said, bringing her hands to her throats.  
“What stopped him?” she frowned.  
Julie looked down. “Elijah…”  
Katherine chuckled. “I see…What about your eye?”  
“My eye?” Julie was confused for a second before she remembered she had a black eye. “Oh…uh…Nothing,” she shook her head. ”Where is he?” she changed the subject.  
“Who?” Katherine frowned. “Klaus? I don’t know,” she shrugged. Julie’s eyes moved to the door and Katherine chuckled. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. “I’ve been compelled to keep you here. I can’t let you go.”  
Julie took a deep breath and she was about to get up but the door open and a man she had never seen before came in.  
“I see you’re awake,” he said with a grin and an English accent. “How’s your head, love? You fell pretty hard,” he mocked.  
Julie, scared, moved her eyes from Klaus to Katherine who raised her eyebrows. “What are you looking at me for?”  
Julie felt small as Klaus approached her. “Let me introduce myself,” he said. “I’m Klaus. It’s nice to meet you Julie.”  
“What do you want from me?” Julie asked in a whisper.  
Klaus chuckled. “Well,” he sighed. “As you know, my brother is trying to kill me. And I know he cares about you. Which means, I can use you to make him change his mind. But you don’t need to be afraid. After the sacrifice is done, you will be free to go. Only if I am alive, of course,” he said. “One more thing before I leave,” he said and sat on the couch next to her. “I was told you can’t be compelled. Is that true?” Julie, terrified of how close the hybrid was, nodded. “See, I’m curious why.”  
“I don’t know,” she whispered so low even Katherine didn’t hear her.  
“You don’t know?” Klaus chuckled. “That is unusual.”  
“I told you she didn’t know,” Katherine said.  
“Yes, Katerina, you did,” he sighed. “But I find it hard to trust you.” Katherine rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well, it’s certainly something we should find out,” he grinned at Julie before he got up. “I have some business to take care of before the sacrifice tonight,” he sighed. “Don’t kill her,” he told Katherine who rolled her eyes and sighed before he left.  
“So,” Katherine said. “You wanna drink?” she asked, handing the almost empty bottle to her.  
“No, thank you,” Julie said, slow and low, looking down.  
“So you really don’t know what you are?”  
Julie looked up at her and shook her head no. “I’m just human,” she shrugged. “I just can’t be compelled.”  
“Honey, that’s not how it works,” she said. “You can be compelled, you’re human. You can’t be compelled, there’s something wrong with you.”  
“Like what?”  
“I don’t know. Are you sure you’re not a witch?”  
“Pretty sure, yeah…” she nodded. “Do you know any other supernatural creatures beside witches and werewolves that can’t be compelled?”  
Katherine sighed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “Elementals can’t,” she said, looking back at Julie. “But they’re extinct.”  
“What’s…an elemental?”  
“A long story, that’s what it is,” she sighed, finishing the alcohol.  
“Have you ever met one?”  
“Once,” she nodded. “She could control nature. People thought she was a witch.”  
“They can control elements,” Julie said. It wasn’t too hard to guess. “I’d know if I could control an element.”  
“Probably not,” Katherine said. “If nobody told you. Same if you were a witch, though. You wouldn’t know.”  
“Well…How can I find out?”  
“I don’t know. But maybe if you try hard enough you can sent this apartment on fire,” she mocked, getting up from the armchair. “Are there any alcohol left?” she sighed.  
In the next hours, waiting for Klaus to come back, Julie discovered Katherine liked to talk a lot. But what wasn’t a surprise was that she talked a lot about herself. Before midnight, Julie knew everything about Katherine. And by midnight, she found out she should never piss her off.  
“I’m still stuck here!” she yelled, throwing a chair on the wall. “He’s not dead!” Julie worried about who had survived the sacrifice and especially who hadn’t.  
She waited in silence for Klaus to come back and fell asleep on the couch. When she woke up, it was around 9 and Klaus still wasn’t there.  
“What do you think happened last night?” Julie asked Katherine.  
“How the hell should I know?” she answered. “Why do you ask me?”  
Julie looked around and found a notebook that probably belonged to Klaus and started to draw. She started to draw Katherine at her request and while the vampire was talking a bit more about herself, Julie learned that Klaus was an artist.  
When night came, and Klaus had still hadn’t come back, Julie looked around the kitchen and started to cook what she could. Suddenly, Katherine’s phone buzzed.  
“You’re free to go,” Katherine said, surprised.  
“What?”  
“I was compelled to do anything Klaus says and Klaus says to let you go,” she said, like she didn’t believe it.  
“O…kay…”  
“Look, Julie. My advice, go to your house and wait for Elijah there. If he’s still alive…That is…” she muttered the end and Julie didn’t hear it.  
“What about you?”  
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, surprised she cared. “Just go.”  
Julie wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. She nodded and walked towards the front door.  
“It was nice meeting you,” she told Katherine who frowned, surprised.  
“You too,” she grinned. Julie gave her a small smile before she stepped out.  
She thought about going to Elena’s house but she was afraid of Damon. She thought she should just go home and do as Katherine said, wait for Elijah. Her stepfather wasn’t home which was a huge relieved. She couldn’t have dealt with him at this moment. She cleaned the house and cleaned again just to try and think about anything else than Klaus. But finally, after sunset, someone knocked at her door. She paused, scared for an instant but then she rushed to open.  
“Katherine?”


	13. Witch or What?

“I can’t believe I dropped out of high school for this,” Julie sighed as she let herself fall on the hotel bed. It’s been a couple of months since she had left Mystic Falls with Katherine to follow Klaus and get Elijah back. She had missed graduation and spent her birthday in a little diner where they just kept eating everything that was on the menu. Bright side, she inherited her mother’s fortune and didn’t have to worry about a thing.   
“Hello!” Katherine said, offended. “Look around you,” she raised her hands. “This hotel room is expansive.”  
“I know,” Julie said. “I’m paying for it.”  
“Yes, you are. Did I thank you for that?”  
“Never.”  
Katherine chuckled. “You dropped out of high school to rescue your boyfriend,” she said as she sat down next to her new friend.  
“Which we still haven’t done yet,” Julie complained.  
“Klaus is smart. The coffins will be guarded, always,” she said. “We need to wait for the best moment.”  
“And when is that gonna be?”  
“I have no idea.”  
Julie sighed. “That’s not very helpful…”  
“I know…” Katherine pouted. “But the good news is, Klaus still can’t make hybrids.”  
“How is that good news?” Julie asked. “He’ll wonder why the sacrifice didn’t work and he’ll go back to Mystic Falls and find out that Elena is still alive and then he’ll kill her once and for all!”  
“Who cares about Elena?” Julie rolled her eyes at her comment. “While he’s busy trying to figure out how to make hybrids, we can look for an opportunity to free Elijah.”  
“And his siblings,” Julie wanted to make clear that they were not going to just free Elijah but all the Originals that Klaus had daggered. She knew they were important to him.  
“Okay, getting Elijah back is a suicidal mission, but getting all of them is just impossible. Plus, you don’t want to do that. They’re crazy. Like Klaus!” her own words gave her goosebumps.  
“Elijah isn’t like Klaus,” Julie disagreed.  
“Elijah is the least insane of them.”  
“Elijah was in love with you, wasn’t he?” Julie asked. Katherine looked up at her and shrugged.  
“It was 500 years ago,” she said. “And nothing never really happened. I thought I was supposed to be Klaus’. Elijah was never the type of guy to steal his brother’s girl.”  
“Did you love him?” Julie asked, anticipating the answer. It was as silly question and she knew it. Elijah was over a thousand years old. He had loved many times before, she was sure.  
Katherine sighed. “He wasn’t like any other men,” she said. “He was different… He cared.”  
“I know what you mean,” Julie said.  
“Anyway,” Katherine said, getting up. “I found someone that could tell us what you are.”  
“I know what I am, Katherine,” Julie sighed.  
“But you don’t,” Katherine said. “You must be a witch!”  
“I don’t want to be a witch!” Julie told the vampire, getting up.  
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not about what you want! You are born a witch.”  
Julie sighed. “Didn’t you say I could also be an elemental?”  
“No,” Katherine raised a finger. “I said elementals can’t be compelled. And I also said they were extinct.”  
“Right,” Julie sighed. “But I’m human, so who cares?”  
“You’re not human. You should care!”  
“You’re impossible, Kat’!”  
“No, you’re impossible!”  
Both women sighed and rolled their eyes.  
“Anyway. I’m hungry.”  
“I’m sure they have room service,” Julie said.  
Katherine took her jacket off the bed. “No, Julie,” she chuckled. “I’m hungry.”  
“Oh…Well…don’t kill anyone,” Julie said.  
Katherine chuckled before she left. Julie sighed and sat back down on the bed. She thought about Elijah, lying dead in a coffin with a silver dagger in his chest. It made her sick, thinking about all the ways she could help Elijah. But the truth hit her hard, there wasn’t any. She needed Katherine’s help and even though she hadn’t said anything Julie was sure the vampire had her own reasons to follow Klaus across the country.  
The next morning, when Julie woke up, Katherine was already awake and ready to go.  
“I ordered breakfast,” she said, eating a waffle. “Eat up, we need to leave soon.”  
Julie sighed and buried her face back in the pillows. “If it will convince you that I am human, we can go now,” she growled.  
“I’m not leaving now,” she said, her mouthful. “Those waffles are amazing.”  
Julie chuckled and got out of her bed. “Where did you find that guy, anyway?”  
“She,” Katherine told Julie. “Is a witch.”  
“You know a witch that doesn’t hate you?” Julie mocked.   
Katherine rolled her eyes. “Yes…She owes me,” she shrugged.  
“Is she going to kill us as soon as we come in?”  
“Very funny,” Katherine said. “…”  
“Are you sure?” Julie, who was just mocking her friend, was now starting to worry.  
“Yes,” she nodded. “Not many witches are stupid enough to try and piss me off.”  
“We’ll see,” Julie sighed. “I trust you.”  
Katherine looked up at her and chuckled. “I knew there was something wrong with you,” she said.  
“Should I not trust you?” Julie looked up too and asked. Katherine stayed silent for a minute and then smiled. “You’re probably one of the few persons that won’t regret trusting me,” she said.  
Julie smiled back. “I hope so,” she said. “I sold my house and send my stepfather’s stuffs to his workplace. I put all my stuffs in a storage and followed you here. I’m grateful you came to my house that night. You didn’t have to tell me about what happened. You didn’t have to offer me your help.”  
“I know,” Katherine nodded and looked back down at her plate. “But I was going to follow Klaus anyway. At least now I have company.”  
Julie knew Katherine wasn’t going to admit she enjoyed their new friendship. But why she was helping her get Elijah back was a mystery to her. Maybe she just wanted to do the right thing, for once.  
After breakfast, Katherine took Julie to a small hairdresser.  
“I thought we were going to find out what I was not get a haircut,” Julie said.  
Katherine chuckled. The room was dark and empty. A tall, thin, redhead woman walked through a beaded curtain and stopped in front of the counter.  
“Katerina,” she said.  
“It’s Katherine now, Andrea,” the vampire grinned.  
“Is this your witch friend you were telling me about?”  
“I’m not a witch,” Julie rolled her eyes.  
“That’s why we’re here,” Katherine sighed. “She’s not sure what she is.”  
“What makes you doubt she’s not human?” the redhead asked, leaning on the counter.  
Katherine looked down at Julie and waited for her to answer Andrea’s question.  
Julie sighed. “I can’t be compelled.”  
“Interesting,” she said. “Doesn’t sound like a problem to me.”  
“It’s only a problem because people insist that it makes me something else than human,” Julie complained.  
“And they’re probably right,” Andrea said. “But you’re not a witch,” she said, walking pass the counter.  
“Are you sure?” Katherine frowned and asked.  
“Yes, Katerina, I am sure,” she nodded, approaching Julie. “She is much more powerful.”  
“So what is she?” Katherine asked, very interested.  
“She is standing right here,” Julie sighed.  
“I’m not sure,” she said, looking Julie up and down.  
“But she’s not human?” Katherine asked.  
“No. I’m sure of it.”  
“Wait,” Julie raised her hands in the air. “I’m not human?”  
“No,” the witch shook her head. “You’re an elemental,” she breathed out with a smile and full of admiration.  
“What?”  
“It’s remarkable,” she said. “I’ve never met an elemental before.”  
“I thought…you said they were extinct!” Julie said, looking up at Katherine.  
“They are!”   
“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Andrea said. “You are a rare creature working this earth,” she said. “Elementals are all mermaids now, hiding in the sea.”  
Julie let out a laugh. “Mermaids, really?” she said, looking at Katherine then back at the redhead. “Mermaids are real?” she asked when she saw none of them was finding this funny.  
“Mermaids are bitches,” Katherine mumbled which made Andrea laugh. “So what element can she control?” she asked like all of this was normal.  
“I don’t know,” the witch shrugged. “How am I supposed to know?”  
“How am I supposed to know?” Julie shouted, confused. She was feeling like she was just a spectator at this moment. Like she wasn’t in control of her own life. “How do you even know I’m an elemental?”  
“Witches are servants of nature. Nature created elementals,” she explained but that didn’t make much sense to Julie. “Wait here,” the witch said before she walked back in where she came from. She came back a minute after with a bracelet. “This is made of 4 magical crystals,” she said, handing it to Julie who was hesitant to take it. “They’re enchanted. Wear it and you will discover which element is yours.”  
“How?” she frowned, confused.  
“Right now you can’t use your power,” she said. “Because you don’t know how or even what it is. But if you wear this it will trigger it without effort.”  
“I’m not sure I want to wear it, then…” Julie said, looking at the jewelry in her hand. “It sounds dangerous…”  
“Nonsense!” Katherine said. “Think about it, Julie. If you have powers, you can use it to get Elijah back.”  
“Elijah?” Andrea echoed. “The Original vampire, Elijah?” she sounded scared.  
“Yes…” Julie frowned. “Do you know him?”  
“I’ve never met him and I don’t want to,” she shouted. “Why would you want to help him? He’s a monster!”  
“No, he’s not!” Julie shouted back, angry at her comment. She fisted her hands and suddenly they heard all the mirrors of the shop break and saw the flowers on the counter were on fire.  
“What are you doing?” Julie asked Andrea.  
“I’m not doing anything! You are!” she shouted. She then raised her hand and the front door of the shop opened and both Katherine and Julie were thrown out on the street.  
“Ouch,” Katherine let out as she got up from the ground and helped Julie on her feet. “Great, another witch that hates me,” she sighed. “Are you okay?”  
“Am I okay?” Julie shouted. “No, I’m not okay! I just set these flowers on fire!” she yelled.  
“Calm down!” Katherine told her, looking around to see if anyone had heard her. “You’re going to set something else on fire!”  
Julie took a deep breath and let the bracelet fell from her hand. Katherine caught it before it could reach the ground. “I can control fire,” she breathed out, panicked.  
“I don’t think it’s all you can do,” Katherine said.  
“What?” Julie frowned.  
“You broke the mirrors,” she told her. “Fire didn’t do that.”  
“Well, water, air and nature wouldn’t have either.”  
“Air might have,” Katherine disagreed.  
“So, what? Now, I can control more than one elements?”  
“I don’t know if it’s possible,” Katherine shook her head and looked down at the bracelet.  
“Damn it!” Julie breathed out. “I’m an elemental,” she ran her hands through her hair. Her heart was beating fast and a million things were going through her mind.  
“Relax,” Katherine said. “It’s a good thing.”  
“How is it a good thing?” Julie shouted.  
“How is it not?”  
Julie frowned and said nothing. Her vampire friend was right. How was it not a good thing? As a human, she was defenseless and weak. But as an elemental, she had powers that could help her get Elijah back.  
“You’re right,” she said, taking the bracelet from Katherine. “You’re right.”


	14. Chicago

“What are you thinking about?”

Katherine broke the silence in the dark hotel room, where both girls were lying in bed, trying to sleep. Julie had many things to think about. Elijah was one thought that usually kept her awake but tonight, she was preoccupied by something else.

“I’m just trying not to set my sheets on fire,” she said with an unamused tone. The bracelet, the witch Andrea had given her earlier in the day, was safely hidden away in the drawer of the night table. She had been practicing all day, trying to focus on her newly discovered powers rather than think about the fact that she had absolutely no idea who she was. She had been lighting candles all afternoon, turning them on and off, manipulating the elements of fire and air. Something that confused her even more, as she had been told an elemental, which she was, could only manipulate one element.

She had felt both powers coursing through her body as she was using them. She had felt strong the moment she completely destroyed that candle but also confused and scared as she had completely lost control over her new ability.

“You removed the bracelet, right?” Katherine asked, nervous. She had seen what Julie was capable of and even though she would never admit it, she was scared of her powers. Not because she couldn’t control them, though that was a pretty scary thought, but because once she would master them, she would be more powerful than any other witch she had met in her long life.

“Yes,” Julie sighed, turning in her bed to face Katherine’s even though it was too dark to see anything.

“Then, don’t worry about it.”

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to use my powers without the bracelet?”

“Of course,” Katherine said. Julie heard her move in her bed. “It would have been easier if you had started practicing when you were a child.”

“Sorry, there wasn’t any class for elemental children when I was a kid, just dance practice.”

Katherine laughed. “You would have been better at it than dancing.”

“Hey! I’m a pretty good dancer, if you must know,” Julie told her.

“Really?” she chuckled. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

“Staying at school,” she said. There was a second of silence before they both started laughing.

“You’re not gonna need school,” Katherine said. “If it doesn’t work out with Elijah, and if Klaus doesn’t kill me…You can always travel the world with me. You’re never gonna need anything.”

“That’s a lot of “ifs”,” Julie said. What her vampire friend had just said was a pinch in the heart. She was touched by her proposition but she couldn’t imagine leaving with her without Elijah. Sure, she knew their relationship was new. And they had never talked about it. She knew what she was feeling didn’t make any sense but all she could think about was him. She had to help him. What she would do after that was a total mystery. “What are you gonna do after we help Elijah?” she asked.

“Run as far away as possible,” she said, faking amusement. “He’s probably going to kill me the second he sees me…”

“Elijah would never do that,” Julie said and Katherine knew she was right.

“I meant Klaus…If we help Elijah…it would be a miracle we don’t face Klaus,” she said.

“Do you think we’re ever going to find a way to get to the coffins?”

Katherine didn’t answer right away. “There will be a moment,” she said. “We just need that one moment…”

Julie sighed. “Good night, Katherine.”

The vampire smiled. “Good night, Julie.”

When Julie woke up, Katherine wasn’t in the room. She frowned when she saw her bags were packed and started to gather her own stuffs, wondering where Katherine was. The door opened suddenly and Katherine entered in a hurry.

“You’re awake,” she said almost out of breath. “Good, I see you’ve started packing.”

“Where were you?”

“Had a phone call to make.”

Julie frowned. “To whom?”

“Does it matter?”

“Was it Damon?” Julie grinned.

“Shut up,” she sighed.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Just pack your bags, we’re leaving Tennessee.”

“Where to?”

“Chicago.”

“Why?”

“Because Klaus is going there.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Okay. Why is he going there?”

“My best guess is, after he realized he couldn’t make any hybrids, he decided to seek the help of a witch.”

“There’s a witch willing to help him?”

“Sure, if she cares about her life,” Katherine sighed and sat down on her bed. “He’ll be distracted,” she said, looking up at Julie who immediately understood what she meant.

“Chicago it is.”

Katherine drove all the way from Tennessee to Illinois, refusing Julie the wheel, telling her that she had driven her car into a tree one night and that she wasn’t particularly eager to experience it herself.

“Wait here,” Katherine told Julie as she was about to leave the hotel room they just got.

“What? Why?”

“Just wait here. Trust me,” she said before she left.

Julie sighed, annoyed. She was feeling useless and she was getting to get really impatient. She looked down at the bracelet and decided to practice as she had nothing better to do. Fire was way too dangerous to practice inside and alone so she decided to test a theory. If she could practice air as well as fire, maybe she had other powers. Nature had given their power to elementals, maybe she could control nature too. She took the small plant that was next to the TV and settled it on the dinner table and sat down. She focused on it for half an hour when she decided to give up after nothing had happened. She sighed and leaned back on the chair and at that same exact moment when her breath escaped her mouth, the plant immediately turned browned and completely faded.

“Oh, no,” Julie whispered as she looked terrified at the dead flower. She had just did that. Her powers had killed that plant. “Okay, “she breathed out, placing her hands above the flower. If she had killed it maybe she could revive it. She closed her eyes and focused and tried to fix her mistake. But soon she could feel heat coming from the plant and she saw she had set it on fire. “Damn it!” She took the plant and rushed to the bathroom and put it in the sink to stop the flames.

She placed both her hands on the sink and sighed. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She was a catastrophe. But when she opened her eyes she saw the plant had grown and was more beautiful than it was when she first saw it.

“What the f…” she breathed out a laugh. She took the soaking plant and looked carefully at it. She decided not to mess with it anymore and put it back where she had found it as she had no idea how she had done it.

She lied down on her bed and put her headphones on and started playing the music in her phone. She stared at the ceiling as the song was playing. Of course, it had to be that song.

  
_Heart beats fast_  
 _Colors and promises_  
 _How to be brave?_  
 _How can I love when I’m afraid to fall?_  
 _But watching you stand alone_  
 _All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_  
 _One step closer_  
 _I have died every day waiting for you_  
 _Darling, don’t be afraid_  
 _I have loved you for a thousand years_  
 _I’ll love you for a thousand more_

Julie sighed and decided not to listen to it and changed it to another random song.

  
_Take me I’m alive_  
 _Never was a girl with a wicked mind_  
 _But everything looks better when the sun goes down_  
 _I had everything_  
 _Opportunities for eternity_  
 _And I could belong to the night_  
 _Your eyes, your eyes_  
 _I can see in your eyes, your eyes_  
 _You make me wanna die_  
 _I’ll never be good enough_  
 _You make me wanna die_  
 _And everything you love will burn up in the light_  
 _Every time I look inside your eyes_  
 _You make me wanna die_

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she sighed and removed her headphones. She got up from the bed and started looking though Katherine’s stuff. She found a small notebook and started reading through it. Finally she noticed something interesting. An address of an apartment there, in Chicago. The most stupid idea crossed her mind. She put her jacket on and took her phone and left the room.

She walked around the city, which was a really stupid thing to do and she was aware of it. Any minute she could meet with Klaus or Stefan and she would have no chance of helping Elijah. She put the address in her phone and just followed the map. It lead her to an old building and she wondered what Katherine could be doing there. She passed by an old blue car she didn’t recognized. But she should have. Because it would have warned her that, Katherine might not be there, but Damon Salvatore, for sure, was.

Julie stopped in front of the apartment door with no idea what to do. Should she knocked? Maybe the door was opened. What if Katherine wasn’t there? What if Klaus was there? So many things could be hiding behind this door. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the handle. Something very natural happened but it still surprised her. The door opened. Her heart was beating fast. The adrenaline made her forget she was terrified. She entered the old place and closed the door behind her. She heard footsteps and she knew someone was coming her way.

“Katherine! There you are! What are you doing here? What is this place?” she asked.

“Julie?! What are you doing here? And…what are you doing with Katherine?”

Julie’s eyes grew big as she looked the girl in front of her up and down. Her hair was straight and those were clothes Katherine would never wear. “Elena?! What are you doing here?”

“I asked first,” she said.

“Actually, I asked first.”

Men voices came from the hallway and Elena shushed Julie up.

“Klaus!” she looked up at the Gilbert girl.

“He can’t know I’m alive,” she told her.

“I know,” she whispered. “Hide!”

“What about you?”

“Just hide, Elena!”

Elena rushed out of the kitchen/bedroom and hid in the only place she could, in the closet. Julie barely had time to remove her bracelet and put it in her jean pocket before the door slammed opened and Julie turned around quickly to see Klaus standing in the doorway.

“Julie! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Klaus!” she breathed out. She looked at the hybrid with big eyes and she took one step back when he took one step forward.

“Missed me already?” he grinned.

“No offense, but not really…”

Stefan chuckled which made her move her eyes from Klaus to him for a second before her eyes laid on the hybrid again.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. He didn’t seem angry. He seemed…amused.

“Visiting?”

Klaus laughed. “I meant, here, in Stefan’s old apartment.”

“Hu,” she breathed out. “See, I swear I didn’t know that,” she laughed, nervously and took one more step back. It wasn’t a lie but it certainly explained why Elena was there.

“How did you find this place?” Klaus asked her with a more serious tone. Julie swallowed nervously as she had no idea what to answer. One more joke could really piss him off. She couldn’t tell him about Katherine and she had to get him out of here before he discovered Elena was hiding in the only other room of the place. Klaus was getting impatient at her silence and he placed his hands on her arms and his grip hurt her. “How did you find this place?” he repeated each word slowly.

“Damon told me about it!” she lied.

“Damon is here?” Stefan asked.

“No,” Julie said and it wasn’t a lie, she had no idea where he was. “I was looking for you,” she lied.

“Why?” Stefan asked but Klaus chuckled.

“Because she knew you were with me,” he said and let go of her. She was sure she was going to have bruises. “You’re missing my brother?” he mocked. “Who told you I had him? Only Katherine knew.”

“She stopped by my house that night,” she told him. “Told me what you did before she left town,” she said with a trembling voice.

“Now, Julie, I like you,” the hybrid said. “And it was very courageous to come after me but also very stupid. Go back home. My brother’s dead.”

“I don’t have a home anymore,” she told him, angry, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t have anyone. I want him back!”

Both men raised their eyebrows as she demanded to get her boyfriend back. Klaus grinned then chuckled. “Well, I suppose if my brother cares about you that makes you family. You always have a home with me, love.” Julie frowned at his serious tone.

“I know how you treat your family,” she said. “You dagger them and move them around in boxes!”

“Do you want to see Elijah again or not?” Klaus sighed.

Julie’s heart stopped for a split second at his question. She nodded.

“Then, come with me,” he said, taking one step on the side to let her walk out the door. Julie looked down and passed by the hybrid. She looked up at Stefan as she walked pass him. There was a time she would have trusted the vampire. It wasn’t the case anymore.

She watched both of them step outside the apartment, relieved they didn’t discover Elena.

“How about a drink, love? You look like you need one,” he mocked.

Julie had never been one to drink, but a couple of months on the road with Katherine had changed that.

“Sure…”

Klaus took her and Stefan to a bar. They sat at the counter and he ordered two beers.

“And for you?”

“Tequila,” she said. The bartender didn’t answer right away. Julie saw she was staring at her and wondered if she could tell she was an elemental. She hoped she wouldn’t say anything, she didn’t want Klaus to know. But she didn’t say anything and served the drinks as asked.

As soon as the glass of alcohol was in front of Julie she took it and drank it all in one shot. Stefan raised his eyebrows, surprised, where Klaus just laughed.

“When can I see Elijah?” she asked.

Klaus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Tonight, I’ll show where he is. But I’m not removing the dagger.”

Julie looked up at him and frowned. “Why not?”

“He tried to kill me.”

“You did kill him. And your other brothers. And your sister,” she told him.

“Elijah told you about that, uh,” he sighed, taking a sip of his beer.

“I asked him why he would want to kill his own brother, that’s what he answered.”

“And what did you tell him?” he asked, not looking away from her.

“I asked him not to kill you.”

Her answer surprised him. “Why?” he asked, confused.

“Because you just can’t go around killing people the way you do. Especially not your brother,” she said, looking away from him.

“You’re still living in a world where vampires don’t exist. You need to wake up, your boyfriend is one.”

She looked up at him and gave him an angry look. “I don’t have a boyfriend, thanks to you,” she spat at him. She thought she saw guilt on his face for a second but they were interrupted by the bartender.

“So, where’s Rebekah?” she asked.

“She’ll be here,” he answered with a smile. “You can’t just conjure her on demand.” She shrugged and went back to work. Klaus turned his head towards Stefan and asked. “What’s with you? I thought Chicago was your playground?” he mocked.

“So, this is why you asked me to be your wing man?” Stefan asked. “Because you like the way that I tortured innocent people?”

Julie’s eyes grew big and she looked up at the vampire. She thought Stefan was a good vampire, not a sadist like Klaus or his brother.

“Well, that’s certainly half of it.”

“What’s the other half?”

“The other half, Stefan, is that you used to want to be my wingman,” he smiled. Stefan was as confused as Julie if not more. “We used to be friends, Stefan,” he said, pushing his beer away and pouring shots in two small glasses.

Julie kept drinking tequila as if it was water and Klaus and Stefan weren’t far from being drunk either.

“So, I’m confused,” Stefan said, a glass in his hand. “If we were such great friends, why do I only know you as the hybrid dick?” Julie laughed at his question and Klaus looked at the girl before he looked back at Stefan. “Who sacrificed my girlfriend, uh?”

Klaus smiled and laughed. “All good things must come to an end,” he said before he explained.

“You compelled me to forget,” Stefan said.

Klaus didn’t look very happy. Maybe Julie was too drunk but she thought he might even be sad about it. “It was time for Rebekah and I to move on. Better to have a clean slate,” he said before he finished his drink.

“But why? You shouldn’t have to cover your tracks, unless you’re running from someone,” he said. Klaus now looked angry.  
“Story time’s over,” he said.

Julie frowned as she saw Stefan was looking at her. But in fact, he wasn’t. He was looking at someone behind her. She turned but saw no one and she was too drunk to find it interesting anyway.  
“I wanna see Elijah,” she whined.

“I need another drink,” Stefan said. “A real one.” Klaus didn’t even look at him. He let him go without asking any questions.

“Why can he go and I can’t?” Julie asked, completely drunk.

Klaus grinned and chuckled when he saw the state she was in. “Because he’s a big vampire who can take care of himself,” he said.

“I’m hungry too,” she said and then she laughed. “Real food,” she specified.

“I’ll get you something to eat when Stefan comes back,” he said.

Julie sighed and rested her head in the palm of her hand, playing with her empty glass. “Can I have another drink?” she asked.

“No, you had enough,” he said, taking the glass from her. She sighed again and rested her chin on his shoulder, her face dangerously closed to his.

“You’re no fun,” she complained and he chuckled. She wasn’t looking at his face but he was looking at hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, without saying a word. He wondered how he had never noticed before how beautiful she was, even drunk.

But then, someone sat next to Klaus and her eyes grew big and she got up from her stool, almost falling from it. Klaus frowned and turned his head to see who was scaring her like that.

“You don’t give up, do you?” he sighed. “Sit down, love. Calm down,” he said as he took her hand and squeezed it. She did as he told her, not moving her eyes from Damon.

“Give me my brother back, you’ll never have to see me again,” Damon answered with a light tone.

Klaus smiled. “Well, I am torn, you see, I promised Stefan I wouldn’t let you die but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn’t be here, so…”

“Well, what can I say? I’m a thrill seeker.”

Klaus laughed before he took Damon by the throat and started strangling him. The bar was now empty as it was late and the owner had asked her customers to leave. The situation reminded Julie of the time when Damon had done the same thing to her.

“I’m a little boozy, so you’ll forgive me if I miss your heart the first time,” he said.

“Klaus, stop!” Julie told the hybrid, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You wanted to go? You can go now, love, you don’t have to see this,” Klaus said.

“You want a partner in crime?” Damon asked. “Forget Stefan. I’m so much more fun,” Damon managed to say. Klaus smiled, amused, before he threw him across the room, breaking a table and a few chairs. Julie jumped at his movement and she gasped when she saw the hybrid take a piece of wood from a broken chair.

“You won’t be any fun, after you’re dead,” he said.

Julie knew she had to stop him but she could barely walk straight. Klaus was about to stab Damon in the heart when the piece of wood was set on fire. Julie first thought she had done it but then she saw the bartender not far from her.

“Really?” Klaus sighed, annoyed.

“Not in my bar,” she said. “You take it outside.”

Klaus rolled his eyes and pushed Damon back on the floor as he was trying to get up. “You don’t have to negotiate your brother’s freedom,” he said. “When I’m done with him, he won’t want to go back.” He pushed Damon down one more time before he got up. “Come on, love. It’s time I introduce you to my sister,” he said walking towards her. He took her by the arm as she wasn’t moving, still staring at the mess he had just done and dragged her outside.

“What about Elijah?” she asked. Klaus sighed.

“He’s there too.”

Julie followed Klaus and tried to sober up but failed. She was so drunk she almost fell a few times, every time, Klaus catching her in time. They entered a huge storage where there were boxes everywhere.

“My sister’s waking up from a 90 years nap,” he said with an amused tone. “She’ll probably be grumpy,” he warned her.

They approached an opened coffin and Julie was looking around and saw three other coffins and wondered in which one Klaus had put Elijah. The coffin was empty and Julie gasped when she saw the dead man lying on the ground behind it. Instinctively, and she probably wouldn’t have done it if she had been sober, she took Klaus’ hand and stayed closed to him.

“Rebekah,” he called. “It’s your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he said.

Suddenly, Julie was pushed from Klaus and she fell on the floor.

“Go to hell, Nick!” a blonde girl, dressed in very old fashion shouted as she stabbed him in the heart with a silver dagger. Klaus gasped because of the pain then sighed and removed it from his chest then let it drop to the ground.

“Don’t pout, you knew it wouldn’t kill me,” he said.

“No, but I was hoping it would hurt more,” she said.

Julie managed to stand up and wondered if she should be scared of his sister. “You deserved that,” she said and the blonde raised an eyebrow, looking at her up and down.  
“Who are you?” she asked, not really interested.

“Julie,” she merely answered before she looked up at Klaus. “Where’s Elijah?”

Klaus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Elijah, Elijah…aren’t you interested in anything else?”

“Klaus, I sold my house and dropped everything, including high school, to find him. Where is he?”

“High school?” Rebekah frowned. “You’re not my brother’s girlfriend, are you?”

Julie frowned a little offended. “What if I am?” she asked.

Rebekah smiled and turned to her brother. “Since when do you reunite us with the people we love?” she asked. “You used to kill them all,” she accused him. Klaus sighed.

“Elijah’s this one,” he pointed at a coffin. “Don’t remove the dagger,” he warned her. She sighed but walked over where Klaus had indicated and opened the coffin. Elijah was in there, a dagger in his heart, his skin grey once again. Just the sight of him made her tear up. She placed a hand on his cheek and stroked it with her thumb. All she had to do was remove the silver weapon and his heart would start beating again. But she knew Klaus would see it. She knew it would only piss the hybrid off.

“I understand that you’re upset with me Rebekah,” Klaus said. “So I’m gonna let that go just this once. I brought you a little peace offering,” he said and Stefan entered.

“Stefan,” she breathed out. The vampire had no memory of the Original blonde and Klaus walked towards him, put a hand on his shoulder and compelled him.

“Now, remember.”

There was a moment of silence as his memories went back to him. “Rebekah,” he remembered with a smile. “I remember you, we were friends,” he told Klaus.

“We are friends,” Klaus grinned. “And now, the reason you are here,” he told his sister. “Gloria tells me you know how to contact the Original witch.”

“The Original witch?” Rebekah repeated, half amused.

“What do you have that Gloria needs?”

She brought a hand to her neck but found nothing. “Where’s my necklace?” she asked, angry. “What did you do with it? I never take it off!”

“I don’t know, I didn’t touch it,” Klaus said.

“We need to find it, Nik!”

“Tell me…”

“Now! I want it back,” she cut him off.

“Tell me that’s not what she needs, Rebekah!” he yelled so loud Julie turned to see what was happening. Rebekah walked towards the coffin where she had been in for 90 years and looked inside. As she found nothing, she closed it and violently tipped it over with a scream. The noises made Julie jump.  
Klaus sighed, angry. “We need to find that necklace!”

* * *

Damon and Elena were back from Chicago. The vampire was walking around his living room, talking on the phone.

“Okay, you were right. He was there…”

“I’m always right,” Katherine said.

“Where are you? I’m thinking Europe. Italy maybe. Or Spain? You were always a sucker for these lazy afternoon,” he said.

“I’m not in Europe, Damon,” she said. She didn’t know if she could trust him. “Was she with him, Damon?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Julie? Was she with Klaus?”

Damon frowned. “I wondered what she was doing with him. But she wasn’t with him, was she? She was with you.”

“Is she okay?”

“What do you care?” Damon asked.

“Damon!”

“She was okay,” he told her. “She was drunk, but her heart was still beating,” he sighed. “He said he was going to introduce her to his sister, however it went after that, I can’t tell you.”

“Damn it,” she sighed.

“So you’re there. You’re in Chicago.”

“Not for long,” she lied. “If she’s with him, there’s nothing I can do for her now. Goodbye, Damon.”


	15. The Necklace

Katherine had been keeping an eye on Klaus since Julie had stupidly left her side. It wasn’t common for the 500 years old vampire to get attach to a human and if someone had told her while she was on the run that someday she was going to stick around a town where the psycho hybrid was to make sure someone else than herself was going to be okay, she wouldn’t have believed it. But there she was, a street across the Original hybrid, who was shopping with his sister, trying to get Stefan Salvatore’s attention.  
Julie kept awake all night. She didn’t want to sleep when she knew exactly where Elijah was and what she needed to do to help him. But she knew Klaus would never let her and she had to be honest with herself, she was scared to death of him. His sister, Rebekah, was back from a 90 years “nap” and she wasn’t in a good mood. Julie was relieved Klaus didn’t have the idea to put them both in the same room even though she had been pretty friendly with her and happy her brother had found someone to care about despite Klaus.  
Rebekah had been trying on expansive dresses for over an hour and she had liked none of them. She kept asking Julie’s opinion and she didn’t like half of the things that were in the shop. Klaus was drinking champagne like it was water at 10 in the morning and Stefan couldn’t be more bored.  
“There has to be more to this dress,” Rebekah said, trying on another expansive outfit.  
“There is not,” Klaus told her.  
Rebekah appeared in front of her brother with an annoyed look on her face. “So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes then.”  
Klaus chuckled but didn’t look up at her.  
“You know I got dirty looks for wearing trousers,” she said.  
“You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing,” Klaus told her.  
“And what is this music?” she asked.  
“It’s dance music,” Stefan told her.  
“People dance to this?”  
“Are we done?” Klaus sighed. His sister raised her eyebrows and took a few steps towards him.  
“And why are you so grumpy?” she asked.  
“I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids were dying, one thing, your necklace and you lost it,” he said.  
“I didn’t lose it,” she told him. “It’s just been missing for 90 years.” Klaus raised his eyes, unconvinced and not happier. Rebekah shrugged and turned to Stefan. “So what do you think?” she asked him.  
“I like it,” he said not really convincing.  
“I can always tell when you’re lying Stefan,” she told him. “You, human girl.” Julie looked up at the blonde then at her dress. “What do you think? And don’t lie.”  
“I…” Julie shook her head. “I don’t like it,” she sighed.  
“I knew it,” Rebekah said before she went to change.  
“Nice one, good work,” Klaus sighed and Julie shrugged. She had no intention of making his life easier. She was bored to death and she couldn’t think about anything else but Elijah but she’d rather stay in this shop all day if it meant him being miserable.  
“You’re the one that pulled the dagger out of her,” Stefan said.  
“I heard that!”  
“Alright, I’m gonna get some fresh air,” Stefan said before he put his glass down and left the shop.  
“Can I go too?” Julie asked.  
“No,” Klaus merely said.  
“Why not?” she whined.  
“Because I know exactly what you’re going to do,” he sighed. “And I’m really not in the mood to face my brother right now.” Julie sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed.  
“Are you ever going to be in the mood?”  
“Don’t pout, love,” Klaus chuckled as he served himself more champagne.  
The first thing Stefan saw as he was about to step out of the shop was Katherine. He was surprised to see her standing across the street, he made sure Klaus wasn’t looking and he followed her, curious to know why she was there.  
“What the hell are you doing here?”  
“You look chummy. Klaus your new bestie?”  
“You know, if he finds out you're in Chicago, you're dead,” he told her.  
“Happy to know you still care,” she grinned. “So, tell me if I’m wrong. The necklace Klaus is looking for…That’s the necklace you gave to Elena.”  
Stefan rolled his eyes and started to walk away. “Bye, Katherine.”  
“Hey, hey, wait…” she stopped him. “You’re up to something, tell me.”  
Stefan sighed. “They don’t know where the necklace is. I just have to keep them from figuring it out. I have it all under control.”  
“Please, tell me you have a better plan than that,” she asked. “You do?” she waited for him to tell her but he said nothing. “Please, Stefan, you’re not the diabolical type. Whatever you’re planning, it’s not gonna work,” she said.  
“Well, if the most diabolical woman I know can't seem to figure it out, then I must be doing something right,” he smiled.  
“Uh-huh, I forgot,” she laughed. “You’re bad now. Don’t get too cocky,” she advised him. “Klaus is smarter than you, he’s smarter than everyone.” Stefan grinned and then walked away. “Is Julie okay?” she asked him which made him curious and he stopped.  
“I knew Damon hadn’t told her about my apartment. Must have been you.”  
“She went through my stuff, she wasn’t supposed to leave my side,” she said, guilty and worried. “What is Klaus gonna do to her?”  
Stefan shrugged. “I don’t know. He seemed to have taken an interest in her. Plus, Rebekah likes her too. She wants to protect her brother’s girlfriend. I wouldn’t worry about her,” he said.  
“Tell her I’m around for her.”  
“Happy to know you still care,” he said before walking away.   
Katherine watched him walk away and sighed, feeling something she hadn’t felt in centuries. A knot was forming in her stomach, which usually wasn’t so painful. For the first time in years, she was worried about someone else than herself and she wasn’t going to stop looking for Julie before she was sure she was safe.  
Julie had asked Klaus to bring her back to Elijah, promising she wasn’t going to pull the dagger out but, whether he knew she was lying or he just didn’t want to take the chance. They went back to Gloria’s bar who tried to locate the necklace but when Stefan stepped in she still hadn’t found it.  
“You left us!” Rebekah said as he was coming down the stairs. She was sitting on the bar, next to Klaus, who had a drink in his hand and Julie couldn’t be farer away from them, sitting at a table near Gloria.  
“Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode,” he lied.  
“Tell me about it,” Klaus sighed.  
“What is she doing?” he asked, looking at Gloria.  
“She’s failing,” Klaus answered, clearly unhappy.  
“It’s hard to find something when you don’t have anything to go on,” she told him.  
“So use me,” Rebekah sighed, getting of the bar to sit at Gloria’s table. “I only wore it for a thousand years.”  
“See? Now, this one offers a solution. Alright, give me your hand sweetheart.”  
“She’s uh…She’s looking for the necklace, hu?” Stefan asked, worried.  
“I can sense something,” Gloria said and Julie noticed that Stefan looked more and more worried. Gloria was chanting words Julie didn’t understand but she payed close attention as she herself might have similar powers. “I found it,” she finally said, letting go of Rebekah’s hand.  
“So where is it?” Rebekah asked.  
“It doesn’t work like that, doll,” she said. “I get images. There’s a girl with her friends…”  
“Yes, a dead girl with her dead friends if I don’t get my necklace back.”  
Rebekah’s threat made Julie shiver. Being in their company was the scariest vacations and it just made her want Elijah back more. She knew if he was there he would make her feel better, tell her everything was going to be okay. But right now she had no idea what Klaus was going to do to her. He could get bored or angry or decide she was too annoying and kill her like he killed Jenna. She had no idea if she was ever going to see Mystic Falls again. Or Katherine. Even now, being friends with Bonnie and Elena didn’t seem so bad.  
“Well, I’ll have to dive back in to get the details,” Gloria said.  
“So dive,” Klaus said, walking towards her.  
“I need more time,” Gloria told him as he approached her. “And space. You’re harshing my ju-ju.”  
“We can wait,” Klaus told her, his face close to hers.  
“I’m sure you can. But it’s not what I asked.”  
Julie watched carefully Klaus’ amused face. She feared he would get mad and make a mess. Which is what Stefan must have thought too because he broke the uncomfortable silence and asked Klaus to leave Gloria work alone.  
“Hey, you know, why don’t we just come back later,” he said. “I’m hungry anyway. I’ll let you pick who we eat.”  
Julie’s eyes grew big and she thought she was going to get sick. She hoped Klaus would leave her here so she wouldn’t have to see what they were going to do to innocent people.  
“Come, love.”  
“Can’t I stay here?” she asked with a trembling voice and Klaus raised his eyebrows and gave her an amused look. “I really don’t want to watch you eat any more people,” she said in a whisper which made him chuckled.  
“The girl can stay here,” Gloria said. “She’s quiet.”  
Klaus sighed. “Fine. But you better be here when we come back.”  
“Where else would I be?” she sighed, sad.  
“Do you want a cup of tea?” the witch asked after the vampires were gone. Julie looked up at her and she saw the witch was waiting for an answer. She nodded and she got up in silence and prepared the beverage. “I know you’re not human,” she said. Julie’s heart stopped for a second and she stared at the witch, scared. “Relax,” she said. “I won’t say anything to Klaus.” Julie took a deep breath before she asked.  
“How do you…”  
“Know?” she cut her off. “I’m old but not senile. I can sense power when there is power to sense. And you got power alright,” she chuckled. Julie slowly approached the bar and took the cup of tea the witch handed to her. It had a new taste but Julie drank it anyway, it didn’t taste bad. But she started to feel weird before she could finish it all. The room started spinning and she tried to stay on her seat.  
“Don’t worry. I’m expecting your friend Stefan to come back and I don’t want you to intervene in what is going to happen next.” Gloria’s words seem so far away as Julie fell off her seat.  
When Julie woke up, she didn’t know where she was. She could hear familiar voices talk in the other room.  
“I’ve been thinking about your diabolical plan.”  
“Katherine…” she breathed out, as she recognized her friend’s voice. She felt like she woke up from a very long nap even though it could only be a couple of hours top. She was in a small room that looked like a broom closet. She was lying on the ground and she almost fell as she tried to get up.  
“Oh! Do tell!” Stefan’s voice echoed in the bar.  
“Well, you must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you. But the sister, she loves you like it was yesterday. She’s the easier mark. But you can’t just pretend to care, because Klaus will know better, so you do the opposite. You bond with him, make her feel left out. That will only make her want you more.”  
“Oh! So you mean, I’m uh, I’m taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook.”  
“The only question is why, Stefan? I mean, I get it, you want to keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls, but…what else do you expect to get from it?”  
Julie opened the door and saw Katherine and Stefan in the middle of the bar. There was blood on the floor and a sheet was covering what could only be a body.  
“Katherine…” Julie breathed out, relieved.  
“Julie!” the vampire smiled when she saw her friend. “I knew you must have been somewhere around here!”  
“What did you do?”  
“That’s Gloria,” Stefan told her. “She tried to kill me.”  
“Why?” Julie asked, confused.  
“Because Elena has the necklace Klaus is looking for,” Katherine told her.  
“You killed her so she wouldn’t tell Klaus,” Julie sighed.  
“So, Stefan. Back to me. What do you expect to get from it?” she asked again.  
“You know what’s funny?” Stefan asked. “You keep talking to me like I actually trust you enough to tell you anything.”  
“Oh, come on Stefan, we’re beyond that! I save you from Hilda the high voodoo priestess.”  
“…Ok,” Stefan sighed. “I knew them. Back in the twenties. They were running from someone. Someone who scared them.”  
“The Hunter…” she said and Stefan nodded. “I heard stories about him centuries ago.”  
“I thought nothing could kill an Original?” Julie said. “Why would they be afraid of a hunter?”  
“Exactly,” Stefan grinned. “Don’t you wanna know why an Original vampire who can’t be killed is afraid of a vampire Hunter?”  
“If you’re planning on making a move against Klaus…I want in,” Katherine said.  
“Katherine, no!”  
The vampire turned towards Julie and frowned. “He’ll kill me the first chance he got! Why do you want to save him?” Julie didn’t know what to answer because she didn’t know why she wanted to save the Hybrid so badly. But as scared as she might be of him she didn’t want him to die. She didn’t want Elijah to lose a brother.  
“That’s good,” Stefan nodded. “It’s good to want things Katherine,” he smiled before he picked up Gloria from the floor.  
“Stefan…”  
“Katherine. I’m in this alone. If you’re looking for a diabolical partner in crime, I’m not it,” he said before he left with the witch over his shoulder.  
Katherine sighed, anxious and disappointed.  
“He can’t kill Klaus alone,” Julie told her. “He’ll get killed, so will you.”  
“What were you thinking?” Katherine suddenly changed the conversation. “Going off alone? I was worried sick!”  
“I’m sorry,” Julie apologized. “I got bored and I felt useless. Plus…I know where Elijah is now!”  
“What good is it if you can’t bring him back? Klaus will stop you and then he’ll kill you!”  
“Yeah well what do I have to live for anyway?” Julie shouted back with tears in her eyes. Katherine was taken aback by her question and calmed down.  
“Well, you got me,” she said. “Now, help me clean this up. Klaus can’t know what happened here.”  
Half an hour later the place was as good as new.  
“Now, we have to go before he comes back.”  
“Go? I’m not leaving with you, Kat’!”  
“What? Are you crazy? Klaus will ask you where Gloria went!”  
“So, I’ll tell him she drugged me and when I woke up she was gone! That’s what happened, isn’t it?”  
“I’m not leaving you here!”  
“Katherine, I’m not leaving Elijah!”  
Katherine glared at her friend in silence for a minute.  
“I promise you, I will help you get him back. But now is not the time. Klaus is too close. It’s too dangerous.” She saw Julie was still unconvinced and she sighed. “Julie, I’m going back to Mystic Falls. You’re free to follow me.”  
Julie thought about it for a few minutes. Staying here but being unable to do anything to help Elijah was just torture. But if she followed Katherine she was going to help her kill Klaus and she didn’t want to do that. Julie sighed and hugged the vampire. Katherine was surprised at first but she knew what it meant.  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.  
“It’s okay. I’ll see you again, soon.”  
“Be careful, Kat’,” Julie sniffed before she let go of her.  
“You too,” she nodded before she disappeared.  
Julie took a deep breath and looked around. Now, she was truly alone. Her back against the bar she slowly sat on the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her head in her hands and started crying. She had no family and no plans for her future. She was a thousand years old Original Hybrid hostage who had dropped out of high school in the hopes of rescuing her thousand years old Original vampire boyfriend of 2 minutes. She was pathetic.  
“What’s wrong, love?” Julie quickly looked up as she heard Klaus’ voice. “Where’s Gloria?” he asked.  
Julie wiped the tears of her cheeks and cleared her throat. “I don’t know,” she said with a broken voice.  
“She didn’t tell you where she was going?” he asked, starting to get suspicious.  
“She drugged me and when I woke up I was alone,” she said with such an angry tone Klaus didn’t suspect she was lying.  
“What’s wrong with you?” he growled. He wasn’t angry at her, he was just angry.  
“Nothing,” she sniffed. Klaus’s face soften as he looked at her small and tired figure.  
“Come,” he sighed before he turned around and climbed back up the stairs.  
He brought her back to the storage where Rebekah had been staying all afternoon.  
“Gloria’s gone,” he growled. “She cleared out. We need to find a new witch immediately.” But when he looked up he saw Rebekah and Stefan were having an argument. “What’s going on?”  
“Something’s wrong,” the blonde said. “He was asking about Michael. He’s not with us, Nik. I can sense it.”  
Julie’s heart started to beat faster as she worried about Stefan’s plan being discovered.  
“She’s wrong,” Stefan said. “Klaus…” But he didn’t get the chance to say whatever he was going to say. Klaus jumped on the vampire and broke his neck. Julie brought her hands to mouth and gasped.  
“What do you know about this?” Klaus asked Julie. She looked at him with big eyes, terrified and shook her head.   
“About what?” she said with a trembling voice.  
“The girl doesn’t know anything, Klaus. She’s just here for Elijah!” Rebekah told her brother. “So what are we going to do now?”  
“Now?” Klaus took a deep breath and calmed down. “Now we’re back to Mystic Falls.”  
//  
Damon Salvatore was alone once again in his huge house, trying not to feel anything. He could be feeling remorse for “killing” his friend Alaric. He could be feeling bad for making Elena mad at him. But Damon wasn’t one to feel anything, yet alone regret. When someone knocked at his door he wondered who he might be as he had pissed off everyone in town in one day. He was surprised to see Elena standing in the doorway.  
“I’ll accept written apologies only,” he said. Elena started to smile but then it turned into a grin he knew too well.  
“Are you two love birds fighting already?” she mocked.  
“Katherine,” he sighed. “Wonderful…What do you want?” he mumbled.  
“I’m just a girl looking for a partner in crime,” she said. “Feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell out of the dodge?”  
“You got impeccable timing,” he said. “I was told I need to take a beat.”  
“Is that a yes? I’ll drive.”  
“Why not? Walls are starting to close in on me around here. Where are we going?”  
“Away from here. That’s all I’m going to give you for right now. But believe me…it’s good,” she grinned, showing him Elena’s necklace which she had just took from Bonnie.  
“Is your friend…what’s her name? Julie? Coming with us?” he asked and Katherine lost her smile.  
“No. She’s still with Klaus.”  
“So, you let your new friend with the worst psycho on this planet, good to know I can trust you…”  
“She chose to stay with him. Well, not with him,” she sighed. “With Elijah…”  
“Ah, love,” Damon chuckled. “Something you’ll never understand,” he grinned.  
“Shut up.”


	16. Back to Mystic Falls

“Welcome back to Mystic Falls,” Klaus grinned.  
It was night and they had arrived a few hours earlier. Klaus parked the truck near the high school where he knew the people he was looking for would be. He had been breaking Stefan’s neck all afternoon and when it was time he went inside the school to chase after Elena, leaving Rebekah and Julie with an unconscious Stefan.  
“So you lived here, before you gave it all up to chase after my brothers?”  
“Yope,” Julie answered, not looking down from the stars.  
“Why did you do it?” she asked. “Leave, I mean. You gave up a lot for my brother. Which my other brother tells me you had just met.”  
Julie sighed. That was a question she kept asking herself. The answer involved Katherine so she chose to go around it. “I had a choice to make,” she said. “Stay in school with no idea what to do next, or “chase” after your brothers,” she shrugged. “Maybe it was stupid…But…I just didn’t want to be alone anymore…” Leaving with Katherine was the best choice she ever made. She made a new friend, found out what she was and got closer to her goal, which was to get Elijah back. She seemed so close, yet so far away.   
“I know what you mean…” Rebekah said, she seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment.  
“Staying in school while Elijah was lying dead in a coffin seemed…wrong,” she said. “I had no good reasons to stay and all the reasons to leave,” she shrugged. “But what do I know?” she sighed. “I’m just a stupid human, maybe Elijah doesn’t even care about me.”  
“You’re wrong,” the blonde told her. “You’re the reason Elijah didn’t kill Klaus,” she said which confused the stupid human.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Klaus told me what happened the night of the sacrifice. Elijah was about to kill him when he told him that if he did, you’d die…”   
Julie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked up at the vampire and shook her head. “Elijah wanted to kill Klaus because he thought you were lost forever,” she said. “There was no changing his mind. He didn’t kill Klaus because he told him that he could get you back.”  
“How do you know this?” Rebekah frowned. Julie wasn’t supposed to know that.   
Luckily, they were interrupted by Stefan gasping his way back to life, once again.  
“Ha, he lives,” Rebekah smiled, amused, looking down at the vampire.  
“What happened?” he asked.  
“You took a beating,” she told him. “My brother’s been breaking your neck all afternoon, quite the temper.”  
“Why did he bring us back to Mystic Falls?” he asked.  
“You can stop playing dum now,” she told him and Stefan gave a quick look to Julie who discreetly nodded. Yes, he knew Elena was still alive. “It didn’t take him long to figure out what you’ve been hiding.”  
“I’m not hiding anything,” he said, getting up. “I’ve done everything Klaus has asked me too.”  
“No, you just failed to mention that the doppelganger was still alive.”   
Stefan tried not to show any emotion. “Where is Klaus now?” he asked.  
“With any luck, ripping that cow’s bloody head off,” she said with a smile.  
Julie shivered at her threat. She worried about Elena even though she knew Damon would probably protect her and she had a dark thought, wishing for a second that he’d die doing it. She also worried about Katherine. She had told her she was going back to Mystic Falls and if Klaus saw her here, she would be as good as dead.  
A few seconds later, Stefan was jumping on Rebekah, falling off the truck. “Where is she?”  
“You really do love her, don’t you?” she growled before she pushed him away and got back on her feet. Julie rolled her eyes and sat in the truck, watching the two vampires fight. “Consider me jealous,” she said, stabbing him with an iron bar.  
“Won’t Klaus get mad if you kill him?” Julie asked.  
“He’s not dead,” she shrugged. “He’ll be back. Come with me.” Julie frowned as Rebekah asked her to step out of the truck.  
“Where are we going?”  
“I’m sure my brother needs my help in there,” she said.  
“He doesn’t need my help…”  
Rebekah smiled and chuckled. “I can’t leave you here, you’ll remove the dagger from Elijah’s heart. And you’re so naïve you might do the same for my other siblings. Klaus can’t have that,” she said, closing the truck.  
“Don’t you want your brothers back?”  
“I do,” she nodded. “Very much. But Klaus doesn’t.”  
“So? There’s four of you and one of him!”  
“You wouldn’t understand, Julie. It’s a family matter. I can’t betray Klaus. And I won’t. Now come.”  
Julie followed Rebekah in the high school. She didn’t want to see anything that was going to happen next. Klaus did bad things when he was angry.   
They walked in Tyler and Caroline kissing in the hallway.  
“You two are adorable,” Rebekah interrupted them.  
“Uh, do we know you?” Caroline asked before she saw Julie behind the stranger. “Julie, oh my God, are you okay?”  
“I’m fine,” she nodded.  
“You’re Caroline,” Rebekah said. “Elena’s friend which makes you Tyler, the werewolf,” she grinned.  
“And who are you?” Caroline, asked putting herself between Rebekah and Tyler.  
“I’m the new girl,” she said before she broke her neck.  
“Caroline!” Tyler shouted. But he couldn’t do anything because the next thing the blonde did was take him by the arms and immobilize him.  
“Don’t hurt him!” Julie asked Rebekah who chuckled.  
“Hurt him? I’m not going to hurt him. But Klaus might,” she smiled.  
“Get off of me!” Tyler growled as they entered the gymnasium and joined Klaus, Elena, Matt, Bonnie and two other students Julie recognized from being in Elena’s class. They were crying but none of them looked physically hurt.  
“Hush now!” Rebekah answered.  
“I’d like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah,” Klaus said with an evil smile. “Word of warning, she can be quite mean,” he grinned.  
“Don’t be an ass,” she said, pushing Tyler from her to her brother.  
“Leave him alone!” Elena told Klaus.  
“Julie are you okay?” Bonnie asked. There was worry and fear in her voice.  
“I’m fine,” Julie answered with a cold tone and looked away. She still didn’t trust any of them. She was still angry for what they did to Elijah.  
“I’m going to make this simple…,” Klaus started to say. “Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It’s quite horrible, actually,” he continued before he bit his wrist and fed Tyler with his blood. “I need you to find a way to save my hybrids Bonnie. And for Tyler’s sake…You better hurry.” Next thing he did was break Tyler’s neck making all his friends, including Julie, gasp with horror.  
“He killed him,” Matt breathed out.  
“He’s not dead,” Elena told him. “Klaus’ blood will turn him into a vampire,” she explained, walking around, trying not to panic.  
“And if Bonnie’s successful, he’ll live through his transition,” Klaus said. “Go on, then. Go fetch your grimoires and enchantments and what-not. I’ll hold on to Elena…for safe keeping,” he said, taking the doppelganger by the arm.  
Matt and Bonnie rushed outside, they had no time to waste if they wanted to have a small chance to save Tyler.  
“So, this is the latest doppelganger,” Rebekah said, looking a terrified Elena up and down. “The original one was much prettier…” Her statement made both Elena and Julie frowned. “The original one”?  
“Enough Rebekah…” Klaus sighed. “Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?”  
Rebekah smiled before she dragged Tyler out of the gymnasium.  
“Just ignore her. Pretty little thing,” Klaus whispered in Elena’s ear, just for the fun of scaring her.  
Julie sighed and sat down on a bench, hoping Bonnie would find a way to help Tyler. Klaus let go of Elena and sat down next her. Julie couldn’t remember the name of the two other students that were held hostage here by Klaus and she wondered if she ever knew them.  
“What’s wrong, love?” Klaus asked. Julie was astonished by his question. Wasn’t the answer obvious?  
“What’s wrong?” she repeated a little loud. “You just killed Tyler!” she shouted.  
“I didn’t know he was your friend,” Klaus said but he didn’t really care.  
“He wasn’t,” Julie told him. “But that’s not the point. It’s doesn’t matter if he’s my friend or not. You killed someone,” she said like anything she could say on the matter was going to make him feel remorse or guilt.  
“To be clear, he might survive,” Klaus told her, not trying to excuse himself. Julie sighed and breathed out a laugh. Not because she was amused. She could say all the right things to him, it wouldn’t change him a bit.  
“It doesn’t matter if he dies, then?” she asked with a broken voice. Klaus looked away and sighed.  
“It matters because it will mean your witch friend still hasn’t figured out what’s wrong,” he said.  
“She’s not my friend,” is all Julie answered.  
“Stefan?” Elena breathed out. Julie looked at her before she followed her gaze and saw the vampire had just entered the gymnasium.  
“Klaus,” he said.  
“Come to save your damsel, mate?” he asked with a quiet voice without even looking at him. He looked tired but Julie knew he wasn’t.  
“Come to ask for your forgiveness.” Both Julie and Klaus were surprised. She would’ve bet everything she had that Stefan had come to help Elena. “And pledge my loyalty,” he finished.  
“Well, you broke that pledge once already,” Klaus said. Julie noticed something in his voice. Was it sadness? Was he sad because he thought Stefan was a true friend but all he wanted was to save Elena?  
“Elena means nothing to me anymore,” Stefan said. Julie saw Elena was hurt by what the vampire had just said. “And whatever you ask of me…I will do.”  
“Fair enough,” Klaus said, getting up. “Let’s drink on it,” he said, walking towards Elena and her classmates. “Kill them,” he said.  
The two teenagers started to panic and got up. They had seen enough to know if they ran, Klaus would be faster than them.  
“No,” Elena said, “Stefan don’t! He’s not going to hurt me, he’s already said…”  
But she couldn’t finish her sentence as Klaus slapped her so hard she fell on the floor crying.  
“Elena!” Julie shouted.   
The next second Stefan was jumping on Klaus but the hybrid was stronger and stopped him. “She means nothing to you? Your lies just keep piling up,” he said, strangling Stefan with one hand. It was so easy for him it didn’t look like such an effort.   
Julie rushed towards Elena and helped her on her feet.  
“Let her go!” Stefan said. “I’ll do whatever you want you have my word!”  
“Your word doesn’t mean much,” Klaus said. “I lived by your word all summer during which time I never had to resort to this…” he said, locking his eyes in the vampire’s “Stop fighting,” he compelled him.  
“Don’t do this, don’t…” Stefan begged.  
“Klaus stop!” Julie shouted but he didn’t listen. Why would he?  
“I didn’t want to. All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I’m going to take it.”  
“Don’t…don’t…” Stefan kept begging.  
“You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey,” he said before he let go of the now immobile vampire. “Now kill them, ripper,” he grinned, pointing at the girl and the boy.  
“No,” Elena breathed out but Stefan jumped on the girl and bit her in the neck and then let her fall on the ground unconscious.  
“What did you do?” Julie shouted at Klaus who raised an eyebrow and just chuckled.  
Julie and Elena watched with horror Stefan drink the others to death.  
“It’s always nice to see a vampire in his true element,” Klaus said. “The species has become such a broody lot.”  
“No,” Elena said. “You did this to him.”  
“I invited him to the party love,” Klaus told her. “He’s the one dancing on the table.”  
“Where is it?!” Rebekah suddenly came back in the room, shouting. “Where is my necklace?”  
“What are you talking about?” Klaus sighed.  
“She has my necklace, look!” she said, handing her brother Caroline’s phone. Klaus look at the picture and saw the necklace around Elena’s neck.  
“Well, well. More lies,” Klaus said.  
“Where is it?” Rebekah asked.  
“I don’t have it anymore,” Elena told her.   
Wrong answer.  
“You’re lying!” Rebekah shouted before she sunk her teeth in her neck. The sudden attack make Julie gasp and take one step back. Stefan was about to rush to help Elena but Klaus stopped her first.  
“Knock it off!”  
“Make her tell me where it is, Nik!” Rebekah asked her brother.  
Klaus sighed and turned towards Elena who had fallen on the ground. He slowly squatted down and asked nicely, “Where’s the necklace, sweetheart? Be honest.”  
“I’m telling the truth. Katherine stole it,” Elena managed to say despite the pain. She put a hand over her bleeding injury and tried to catch her breath.  
“Katerina,” Klaus sighed. “Of course. Well, that’s unfortunate. If we had the necklace it would make things easier for your witch, but since we’re doing this the hard way, let’s put a clock on it, shall we?” he said. Julie didn’t understand what he meant. There was already a clock on it: Tyler’s life. “20 minutes. If Bonnie hasn’t found the solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena. You know you want to.”  
“No, Klaus!” Elena breathed out. “Don’t do this to him.”  
“Julie, come with us. No one else, leaves. If she tries to run, break her spine,” he told Stefan.  
Julie wasn’t going to follow him but when Rebekah saw she wasn’t moving she sighed and took her wrist and gave her a look that made her understand that it wasn’t the right time to piss off Klaus.  
“Where are we going?” she asked.  
“We’re taking a walk,” Klaus answered.  
They looked around the high school in silence, Julie guessed they were looking for Bonnie but they didn’t find anyone.   
Rebekah took Julie back to the room where Caroline and Tyler were and the werewolf was still “dead”. The Original vampire kept playing with the blonde’s phone, asking Julie how it worked.  
“Where have you been, Julie?” Caroline asked. “When Klaus left town you disappeared with them.”  
“I followed them,” she shrugged, not looking away from the phone’s screen, showing Rebekah how to use the clock. She wasn’t in the mood to tell her how she spent her summer.  
“Alone?” Caroline doubted her. Her questions might get her killed, so Julie decided to make her stop asking.  
“It’s none of your business,” she said. Rebekah looked down at Julie then looked up at Caroline. When the two blondes’ gaze met, the Original grinned, happy Caroline and Julie didn’t get along.  
4 minutes before the count down, Tyler finally “woke up”. He gasped and coughed and looked around, confused.  
“Where am I?” he asked.  
“Tyler…” Caroline started to say, trying to keep a calm voice.  
“Don’t be shy about it,” Rebekah said. She smiled at him and he had never been more confused. “What’s going on?” he asked.  
“Klaus…is turning you into a vampire,” Caroline said. She was trying to find the right words to explain what was happening. But there were no words to say this. “A hybrid. You’re in transition.”  
“Don’t leave out the hard part, sweets,” Rebekah said. “You’ll only survive if your witch is successful. If not…You’re pretty much dead,” she grinned.  
“Rebekah,” Julie sighed.  
“What?” Rebekah faked innocence. Julie rolled her eyes which made the vampire chuckle. “This is fun.”  
“For you, maybe,” Julie mumbled.  
“You’re going to be ok,” Caroline told Tyler. “Ok? It’s gonna be ok,” she said. Tyler was feeling sick and was breathing heavily. Julie felt bad for him and for his mother and for Caroline. She really hoped Bonnie was going to find a solution because if she didn’t, Klaus wasn’t going to stop looking for one which meant more werewolves were going to have to die and she was going to have to watch them all get killed.  
“I wonder how she’s doing,” Rebekah asked. “Tick tock goes the gym clock.”  
The 20 minutes had passed and Tyler was getting worse by the minute. Rebekah seemed like she couldn’t care less but Caroline and Julie worried more and more he wouldn’t survive the night. Finally, Klaus came in.  
“Well, the verdict’s in. The Original witch says the doppelganger should be dead.”  
“Does that mean we can kill her?” Rebekah asked, happy.  
“No. I’m fairly certain it means the opposite,” Klaus said.  
“What?” Rebekah frowned, confused. Julie didn’t get it either. He’d been trying to contact the Original witch for days and now he wasn’t going to do what she told him?  
“Call it a hunch…” he said, showing Tyler a tube filled with blood. “Elena’s blood. Drink it.”  
“No! No, no, no, Tyler don’t!” Caroline told him but Rebekah stopped her as she tried to get in the way.  
“If he doesn’t feed, he’ll die anyway, love,” Klaus told her. “Consider this an experiment.”   
Tyler was trembling and sweating and he could barely stand up. He was desperate, all he knew was he didn’t want to die.  
“It’s ok,” Klaus nodded. Tyler hesitated a minute but eventually took the blood and drank it. He spitted out half of it and started convulsing. He fell on the floor, his entire body was shaking. He felt fire in his veins and he screamed because of the pain and then he growled and his eyes turned yellow.  
“Well, that’s a good sign,” Klaus grinned.  
Rebekah let go of Caroline who rushed to Tyler’s sides to make sure he was fine.  
“Now Julie, as fun as it is to have you by my side,” Klaus said. “You’re free to go.”  
“You’re letting me go?” she asked, surprised.  
“I trust you’re not leaving town as long as my brother’s coffin is in Mystic Falls,” he grinned. “So I know where to find you if for whatever reason I need you,” he shrugged. “Or if for whatever reason you need me,” he winked at her before he walked out of the room.  
“It was nice meeting you, Julie,” Rebekah said. “Even if it was for only a few days, I rarely got along with my brother’s girlfriends,” she told her. “I hope we can be friends,” she smiled. Julie didn’t know if she was being serious or not. She gave her a small smile and politely nodded. The blonde’s smile grew bigger and she put Caroline’s phone down before she left the room.   
Julie took a deep breath. She was free. But she had no idea what she was going to do.  
“I’m glad you’re ok, Tyler,” she said before she walked out of the room too. The hallway was empty though there was blood on the floor. She looked around the empty school she had left too soon and took a deep breath when she stepped outside, enjoying the fresh air of the night.  
What a failure she was. How was she going to help Elijah now? She knew the coffins were in town but Klaus had moved the truck and it was impossible for her to remove the dagger now.   
She called a cab which wasn’t happy to work so late at night and he drove her to the storage where she had left all her furniture, clothes and other stuffs and also her mother’s car. She remembered when Katherine helped her put everything in there, asking her what that heavy chest was. She told her she didn’t know, she had never managed to open it, but she kept it because it belonged to her mother.  
When Julie turned 18, she inherited all her mother’s fortune. She never really understood how she got all that money, though when she was little she remembered her mother joking about how Julie’s grandmother sold magic for a living. Of course, this never made sense to her, until she found out she was an elemental. Maybe her grandmother was one too. Maybe her own mother was like her and she never got the chance to tell her.  
Julie sighed and packed up some clothes that she put in the car. She sat in front of the wheel with no idea where to go. She missed her mother, she missed Katherine and she missed Elijah. Then, she remembered Elijah had a house and decided to drive there.  
She was starving but she was exhausted too and she needed sleep more than she needed food. So she got up in the bedroom when she once spent the night and fell on the bed, without changing her clothes. Being there without him felt strange and wrong. The sheets were the same as last time and she still could smell his scent. She buried her face in the pillows and fell asleep with tears in her eyes.


	17. Mikael

Julie spent days alone in Elijah’s empty house, trying to make it a place where she could live. She filled up the fridge and the kitchen’s shelf, she dusted and cleaned the huge property. She called Katherine several time but the vampire never answered which worried her. She avoided everyone, including Rebekah.  
“No, Rebekah, I’m not going to the bonfire with you,” she sighed over the phone.  
“Why not?” the Original whined.  
“Because I didn’t go when I was a student, I’m not going now.”  
“You’re no fun.”  
“I know, I’ve been told.”  
“Where are you, by the way? I thought you had sold your house.”  
“I found a place.”  
“Where? I looked everywhere for you.”  
“Why? What do you need?”  
“A friend, Julie. I need a friend. Niklaus left me here and Stefan is not being friendly at all.”  
Julie sighed. “I’m sorry, Rebekah. I’m not going to the bonfire with you. But…we can do something else if you want…”  
“Like what?” Rebekah asked. She sounded excited.  
“I don’t know,” Julie shrugged. “What do you wanna do?”  
“Let’s go shopping! I need a dress for the homecoming dance.”  
“That’s in a couple of days.”  
“Yes. Will you help me choose?”  
“Sure…” Julie sighed.  
“Am I boring you?”  
“No, Rebekah, I’m just…tired,” she lied.  
“You sound sad. Are you sad? What are you sad about?”  
“I’m fine, Rebekah, have fun at the bonfire,” she said before she hang up.  
Julie didn’t speak to anyone after that. She went through Elijah’s stuff, she found out he owned nothing but suits which made her smile. He obviously liked to read and he owned a few piece of art his brother had made. She recognized Klaus’ style on many paintings that were hanging on the walls.  
She thought about practicing magic, she kept the bracelet in her pocket but she was too afraid to actually wear it.  
Two days later, she was shopping with Rebekah who was going on and on about how the town had been haunted by ghosts the day before. She kept complaining about “Niklaus” and how he “abandoned” her there without telling her where he was going.  
“Elena’s been asking about my father,” she sighed. “I really don’t want to spend the afternoon with her telling her about my past. I’d rather shop with you,” she said the end of her sentence with a high voice. “So, what have you been up to?”  
“Nothing much,” Julie shrugged. “Sleeping, eating, reading…”  
“You’re boring,” Rebekah sighed which made Julie laugh. “What’s so funny?”  
“Have you ever had any friends?”  
“Yes,” Rebekah answered, offended. “No…” Julie laughed again.  
“Are you buying all these dresses?” Julie changed the subject. “You know you only need one, right?”  
“I know,” the blonde sighed. “I just can’t choose.”  
“Take the red one,” Julie said.  
“The red one it is,” Rebekah nodded. She paid for the dress and once they were out of the shop Rebekah sighed and said. “I’m starving!” Julie looked up at her with big eyes which made the vampire laugh.  
“Relax. Real food. Your kind of food,” she said.  
Julie chuckled. “We can go to the Grill,” she shrugged.  
“Sure,” Rebekah nodded.  
After lunch Rebekah insisted for Julie to come with her to the Salvatores’ because she didn’t want to spend the afternoon alone with Elena. She was afraid she might be too annoying and end the day killing her.  
“I’m not going to Damon’s house,” Julie told her.  
“Don’t worry about it, Damon’s not gonna be there.”  
“How do you know? It’s his house.”  
“He’s too busy trying to get Stefan’s humanity back,” she sighed. “Plus, it’s not like I’m going to let him kill my only friend.”  
It’s not the first time an Original had promised Julie they would keep her safe from Damon but it didn’t stop him from almost killing her. But unlike Elijah, who wouldn’t force her to go inside the house, Rebekah didn’t give her any choice.  
Music was playing loud in the Salvatores’ living room while Rebekah was finishing a bottle of champagne. Elena entered the house like she owned the place, even though she did once, and stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for an explanation. She frowned when she saw Julie who didn’t say anything.  
“Hey, what’s up?” Rebekah asked.  
“You invited me over…to talk,” Elena reminded her.  
“Right,” the blonde said, “to talk…” she sighed. “Sit down,” she told her. Elena sat on the couch across the one where Rebekah and Julie were.  
The elemental was curious to know more about the vampire’s past because it also was Elijah’s past.  
“So, what do you want to know?” Rebekah asked.  
“Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?”  
“My parents had just started a family when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate.”  
“So how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn’t even been discovered yet,” Elena said.  
“Not by anyone in your history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy…Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength. That led my family here, where we lived amongst those people.”  
“The werewolves,” Elena guessed.  
“To us, they were just our neighbors. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me.”  
“You make it sound so normal,” Elena said.  
“It was,” Rebekah nodded and she got lost in her thoughts for a moment. “Once a month, our family retreated to the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night, and by morning we’d return home. One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price.”  
“He died?” Elena asked.  
Rebekah nodded. “And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors. And one of the last moments my family had together as humans.”  
There was a sad silence which didn’t last long as it was broken by Elena’s buzzing phone.  
“You better get that,” Rebekah cleared her throat. “That’ll be Damon checking up on you,” she mocked.  
Elena got up and answered the phone. When she came back she didn’t look happy.  
“Honestly I don’t get you two as a couple,” Rebekah suddenly said, out of nowhere.  
“Damon and I aren’t a couple,” Elena chuckled.  
“I didn’t mean Damon. Stefan,” Rebekah said.  
“Well, why would you? You don’t know anything about who he really is.”  
Rebekah smiled and chuckled. “I know exactly who he is. He’s a vampire. We’re a predatory species. We don’t have time to care about humans and their silly little lives.” Julie listened to each words the blonde said with pain.  
“Really?” Elena smiled. “So you don’t care about the homecoming dance, then?”  
Rebekah frowned then shrugged. “The necklace wasn’t Stefan’s to give. It belonged to the Original witch.”  
Now Elena was frowning. “The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?”  
“Not just the hybrid curse. She’s the one who turned us into vampires,” Rebekah said. “After Henrik died, my father asked Ayana to use magic to protect us. Make us stronger.”  
“So vampirism was a form of protection?” Elena asked.  
“What else would it be?” Rebekah asked.  
“A curse,” Elena said.  
“My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive.”  
“Yeah, but…why stay? If they were so afraid of the werewolves, why not leave?” Elena asked.  
“Pride,” Rebekah answered. “My father didn’t want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses. Ayana wouldn’t do it, so it fell in my mother’s hands.”  
“In her hands?” Elena asked, confused. “How could she do anything about it?”  
“Because my mother was also a witch.”  
“What?”  
“The witch of the Original family. The Original witch.”  
“But, if your mother was a witch then…”  
“Am I? No. A witch is a servant of nature. A vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other. Never both. My mother did this for us. She didn’t turn.”  
“How did you turn?” Elena asked.  
“She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature’s eternal objects, for immortality. That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts,” she told them.  
“He killed you,” Elena whispered like it was something so awful it couldn’t be said out loud.  
“He killed all of you…”  
Rebekah looked up at Julie and nodded. “And he wasn’t delicate about it either,” she said, finishing a glass. “We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual. It was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable. But the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us and nature fought back. For every strength, there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks. And then my mother found a solution. But there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. The flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away…So we burned it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated…The hunger. Blood made us reborn, and it was blood that we craved for above all else. We could not control it. And with that…The predatory species was born.”   
“Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?” Elena asked.  
“When Nik made his first kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father’s greatest shame.”  
“Yeah, Elijah told us this part of the story,” she said. “Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn’t his son.”  
“She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side. And then she turned her back on him. But Mikael’s greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her,” Rebekah explained with a trembling voice.  
Both Elena and Julie couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Could it be that Mikael was worse than Klaus?  
“Mikael killed your mother?” Elena breathed out.  
“He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched. Afterwards, my father took off in rage and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say good-bye to my mother. That was then, we made a promise, Elijah, Nik and I…” she said, looking up at Julie. “We would stay together, always and forever.”  
“Even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?” Elena asked.  
“We’re vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I’m stubborn, Elijah moral and Nik…Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family, we’ve all made that mistake at least once. I’ve made it several time.”  
“But you still love him?” Elena asked, she didn’t understand how she could still stand by her brother.  
“He’s my brother and I am immortal,” she said. “Should I spend an eternity alone instead?” Elena didn’t answer. She was trying to turn her against Klaus but obviously she was failing. “You’ve heard the story. It’s time to go. I don’t know what you’re up to but I am no longer playing along,” Rebekah said.  
“I’m just looking for one good reason why we shouldn’t wake Mikael.”  
“And I’ve given you a thousand!” Rebekah shouted, getting up, which made both Julie and Elena jump, startled. “But you will anyway, I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I’m not stupid.  
“It’s no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan’s life and over mine.”  
“Do what you need,” Rebekah told her. “Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake. If you come after my brother, I will rip you apart. And I get my temper after my father,” she threatened the doppelganger. “Now leave.”  
Julie brought her knees to her chest and tried to make sense of what she had just heard. She knew more now about Elijah but she understood that Mikael wasn’t only after Klaus, he was after all of his children.  
“Are you okay?” Julie asked with a small voice.  
“Wasn’t the funniest afternoon,” she sighed. “But I’ve lived through worse.”  
“So where did you go? After your mother died…”  
“We went back to the Old World. We lived in France for a few years with my other brothers.”  
“So…you buried your mother here, in Mystic Falls.”  
“She’s somewhere here,” she nodded.  
Julie’s phone started to buzz and she wondered who it might be but when she saw it was Katherine calling her, she was both relieved and worried at the same time. She couldn’t let Rebekah know she had been in touch with her so she had to excuse herself and leave.  
“Who is it?” the blonde asked.  
“Uh…Just a friend,” Julie shrugged. “I gotta go,” she said, getting up. She took her jacket and her purse and was relieved Rebekah didn’t stop her.  
“Ok…Are you sure you don’t want to come to the homecoming dance tomorrow?” she asked.  
“Pretty sure, yeah…”  
“Okay,” she sighed.  
As soon as Julie was out of the house and in her car she finally picked up the phone.  
“Katherine! I’ve been trying to reach you for days!”  
“Sorry, I’ve been a little busy.”  
“Where are you?”  
“In Mystic Falls, where are you?”  
“I’m at the Salvatores’, just…tell me where you are, I’ll come get you.”  
Katherine was at the park and to be sure no one would see them together, she quickly got in the car and Julie drove back to Elijah’s house.  
“You live in your dead boyfriend’s house? Creepy…”  
“Shut up, I had nowhere else to go…Plus…he’s not dead, dead.”  
“Anyway…” Katherine sighed. “I found a way to kill Klaus.”  
Julie sighed. “Yeah? Well, I don’t wanna know about it,” she shrugged.  
“Why not?” Katherine grimaced.  
“Because if I don’t know anything about it, he’s not coming to kill me after you fail.”  
“We’re not gonna fail. We found Mikael.”  
“You woke up Mikael??” Julie shouted. Katherine raised her eyebrows, surprised it made her angry. “You know he’s not coming just for Klaus, right? He wants to kill all his children. Which means Elijah and Rebekah.”  
“Ok, first, why do you care about Barbie Klaus? And second, when Klaus is dead, there is nothing that can keep you from bringing Elijah back!”  
“Nothing except his thousand years old vampire hunter dad!”  
“Mikael said he only wanted to kill Klaus.”  
“Since when do you trust what people say?”  
Katherine sighed and didn’t answer right away. “You’re right. But Klaus needs to go.”  
“You just keep saying that but it doesn’t make it right…”  
“It’s not about doing the right thing, Julie. It’s about survival. Once Klaus is dead, I’m free. Forever.”  
Julie sighed. She was right. Klaus was a murderer and the world would be better if he was gone. But he was still a person, she knew deep down he had feelings and regrets. And he would forever be Elijah’s brother.  
“Just keep me out of it, okay?”  
Katherine sighed. “Okay. I wasn’t going to ask your help anyway. It’s too dangerous.”  
“I hope you’re not hungry, Kat’, ‘cause Elijah doesn’t have any blood bags.”  
“I’m good, thanks,” she sighed and moved deeper in her seat. “How old is this car?” she asked, uncomfortable.  
“I don’t know,” Julie chuckled. She didn’t know anything about cars. “Old.”  
“Are we there soon?” Katherine complained.  
“Yes,” Julie rolled her eyes, annoyed.  
She stopped the car in front of the house and Katherine couldn’t get out of the vehicle faster.  
“Nice castle,” she laughed. “It’s Elijah’s alright.”  
“You’re staying the night?” Julie asked her as she closed the car door and walked her way to the front door.  
“Yope. Damon thinks he’s gonna need my help tomorrow.”  
“You’re killing Klaus tomorrow? You know he’s not even in town, right?”  
“He’s going to be,” she said. “I told you, we have a plan.”  
“No, you said you had a plan.”  
“Anyway. Mikael agreed to help and according to this text Damon just sent me, Rebekah is in too.”  
“What?” Julie frowned, surprised. There was no way Rebekah would agree to kill her brother. “That’s not possible.”  
“Apparently, Klaus lied about their mother. Now that she knows he killed her, she wants him dead as bad as we do.”  
“Klaus killed his mother?” she breathed out, horrified.  
“That does sound like him,” Katherine sighed. “Do you have food?”  
Katherine kept looking around looking for something interesting but all she could find bored her. Finally, she sat on the couch with a plate of food she took from the kitchen.  
“So, what’s the plan?” Julie asked.  
“I thought you didn’t want to know.”  
“Did Klaus really kill his mother?” Julie asked in a whisper, scared it could be true.  
“He did,” she nodded.  
Julie sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe it…What kind of person kills his own mother?”  
“The psycho kind,” Katherine answered. “You want in?”  
“In? I’m not helping you kill Klaus,” she said.  
“Okay,” Katherine nodded.  
“So…What’s the plan?”  
Katherine sighed. “There isn’t a definitive one…yet.”  
“What do you mean?” Julie frowned.  
“I mean…” she sighed. “Half of the people who need to be involved can’t be trusted.”  
“Like you?” Julie mocked.  
“Ha-ha, very funny,” Katherine said, throwing a piece of food at her.  
“Hey, I just cleaned!” she said which made the vampire laugh.  
“I meant Stefan. And Rebekah.”  
“You’re counting on Stefan to help you? Klaus compelled him to do everything he said,” Julie said like it was a stupid idea.  
“That’s why he can’t be trusted,” she said, bringing a piece of fruit to her mouth.  
“So…how are you gonna bring Klaus back to town?”  
“We’re gonna make him believe Mikael is dead. He’ll want to see it with his own eyes.”  
“I bet…” Julie sighed. Klaus was going to die tomorrow. Or Katherine would.  
“So we lure him back to Mystic Falls and then…Mikael just do the rest,” she shrugged.  
“You make it sound so easy…”  
“It won’t be,” Katherine said. “Just so you know, if we fail, either I die or I move to North Korea.”  
“Good to know,” Julie rolled her eyes.  
“Wanna come with me?”  
“To North Korea?” Julie chuckled. “No, thank you…”  
“Yeah…I thought so…” she sighed. “Anyway,” she said, getting up, putting the empty plate on the coffee table. “Gotta get my beauty sleep,” she winked. “Good night Julie.”  
“Good night, Kat’…”


	18. Find You Again

“Mikael is dead.”  
It was a little around midnight when Julie received that text. Katherine had left early in the morning, so early that when Julie woke up at 8 the vampire was already gone. There was a note on the kitchen counter “Don’t leave the house, K.” That was it. Katherine was never good at goodbyes.   
Julie knew it would be stupid to leave the house, it was perfectly safe there for her as Katherine was the only one who knew about it. She texted Rebekah but she never answered, which worried her. The blonde had been eager to be her friend, it was unlike her not to answer.  
Julie paced up and down, worrying. If Katherine was successful tonight, she’ll see the vampire again and even her boyfriend. But if she failed, she will need to leave the continent or worse, she might die. Which, in any case, meant Julie will never see her again. But what annoyed her above all else is that she worried about Klaus. The hybrid had done so many terrible things, but still, she worried. It felt silly to worry about a thousand years old hybrid. He could take care of himself. And tonight, once again, he did. Julie had no idea what to do. It was late but going to bed now felt wrong. She had no idea what had really happened. Just that Mikael was dead.  
Suddenly, her phone started to ring. A knot formed in her stomach when she saw Klaus’ name. Did he know she knew about the plan? Why was he calling her? She took a deep breath and picked up.  
“Hello?” she tried to keep a steady voice but failed.  
“Julie, love, I need to know where my sister is.”  
“You don’t know?” Julie asked, confused. Wasn’t she supposed to help the Salvatores kill him?  
“Know what?” he sighed.  
“I…I don’t know where Rebekah is. Have you checked the Salvatores’? She lived there while you were…doing whatever it was you were doing.”  
“And where are you staying, love?” he asked.  
“…I found a place.”  
Klaus chuckled. “It sounds like you don’t want me to know where that place is.”  
“Tell Rebekah to call me when you find her.”  
“I see you’ve befriended my sister. What else have you been up to?” he asked with a more serious tone.  
“Nothing much,” she shrugged. “You? I guess you’ve been making hybrids all this time.”  
Klaus chuckled. “I was. It turned out to come handy tonight.”  
“What do you mean?” she faked.  
“You’re a terrible liar, Julie. How did you know I was even back in town?”  
Julie took a deep breath. He knew.  
“I knew they were planning something. I just didn’t know what.”  
“Again. You’re a terrible liar. But that’s ok. I’m not mad at you. I get it. Got your boyfriend in a box and all that.”  
“Again. Tell Rebekah to call me when you find her.”  
“I will.”  
“And Klaus…”  
“What is it, love?”  
“…I’m glad you’re alive.” Klaus didn’t say anything but didn’t hang up either. He was surprised and speechless. “Good night Klaus.”  
Julie got to her bedroom and let herself fall on the bed. She tried to call Katherine again but she didn’t pick up. She sighed as she let the phone slip out of her hand. She sat up and sighed again. What was she going to do now? Katherine was gone and she lived in a town full of vampires. She needed to be able to defend herself.   
She walked towards the dresser and opened the first drawer. She took the bracelet out and stared at it for a minute before she put it on. There was no way she could sleep tonight anyway. It was time she embraced what she was. She had powers, she should be able to use them. If Klaus wasn’t going to free Elijah, she was going to have to do it herself. She had found candles while she was looking around one day and she decided it was probably the easiest thing to begin with. She settled three candles on the kitchen counter, near the sink, and focused on them. They lit up almost instantly. It was even easier to put them out. She thought she should try something bigger, like the chimney. But she started the fire and put it out so easily it scared her a little. The smell of smoke invaded the house while she got used to the feeling of power coursing through her veins. With her bracelet on, it seemed like she could do anything. Reviving the almost dead plants of the house was as easy as creating wind. She almost made a shelf full of old books fall but she managed to stop in time. Managing water and air together was fun. She liked creating bubbles of all sizes, strong bubbles that don’t burst so easily.  
Using her power exhausted her and she fell asleep on the couch. When she woke up, it was around noon and she had tones of missed calls from Klaus. Barely awake, she called him, wondering what he wanted.  
“Finally, love, I was starting to worry.”  
“I’m sorry, what’s going on?” she yawned.  
“Did you just wake up?” he mocked.  
“I had a long night,” she sighed. “Any word from Rebekah.”  
“No. I’m looking for Stefan,” he told her.  
“Stefan? Why? Isn’t he supposed to do everything you tell him?”  
“I gave him his freedom back last night,” he growled. “He stole the coffins.”  
Julie’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”  
“So you don’t know where he is?”  
“You don’t know where Elijah is?” Julie shouted. Klaus sighed.  
“Calm down. I will find him.”  
“Where are you?”  
“Mystic Grill.”  
“I’ll be there in half an hour,” she said, hanging up. She took the quickest shower and changed her clothes and got in her car and drove her way to the restaurant.  
When she entered the Grill, Klaus was talking with Damon and Elena. She hesitated to approach them but she figured Damon wasn’t going to hurt her in front of all these people.  
“Julie, finally you’re here,” Klaus grinned. “Missed me?”  
“What’s going on here?” she asked.  
“Well, my sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out,” he said looking back at Damon and Elena. The vampire gave a bad look to Julie who didn’t show him her fear. She would set him on fire if she had to.  
“Cute? Blonde bombshell? Psycho? Shouldn’t be too hard to find,” Damon said.  
“I know you did something to her,” Julie said. “She stopped answering her phone yesterday afternoon. And I know she was with you.”  
“Why do you care?” Damon asked.   
Klaus laughed at Julie’s attitude. “Truth is, I’ve grown to like your little town. Thinking I might fancy a home here. I imagine you’re wondering how does this affect you. And the answer is, not in the slightest. As long as I get what I want, and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word,” he grinned.  
“What more could you possibly want?” Elena asked.  
“You could tell him where Stefan is,” Julie asked with a cold tone. “Now.”  
Klaus chuckled. “You heard her. Where is your brother?”  
“Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass,” he answered. Julie frowned. Stefan saved Klaus’ life? That must be why Klaus gave him his freedom back last night.  
“Well, you see, that is a shame. Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what’s mine.”  
“That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem,” Elena said.  
Klaus didn’t appreciate her remark and took a step forward but Damon stopped him and placed himself between him and Elena which made Klaus laugh.  
“Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart,” he grinned. Julie knew this meant people were going to get hurt. “So you better find him fast,” he said, walking away from them. Elena turned around and looked at Julie with disgust.  
“So you really are working with him?”  
“Stefan took something important to me,” she answered. “So yeah…I’m working with him,” she said before following Klaus outside.  
“You’re not going to be of any help to me, love,” he told her once they were on the streets.  
“I could be,” she said, looking up at him. “There’s something you don’t know about me.” This got his attention. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell him but she wanted to help him get Elijah back and she was going to do anything to find Stefan. “I found out why I can’t be compelled.”  
“Don’t tell me you’re a witch, sweetheart, I don’t like witches.”  
“I’m not a witch, Klaus. I’m an elemental.”  
Klaus looked at her, doubtful. “Elementals are all dead.”  
“That’s what I’ve been told,” she said, keeping a serious tone. “I can control the four elements. I can help you.”  
“You’ve been practicing?” he asked. “You do know elementals are like witches, just…powerful.”  
Julie frowned. “You mean…I can do what a witch can do?”  
“Yes and more,” he grinned. “You might be helpful to me,” he said. “I’ll keep you informed.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“Don’t worry,” he sighed. “I’ll get my family back.”  
“What about Rebekah?”  
“All my family. I’ll call you when I need you,” he said before he left.  
Julie sighed. She wanted to do so much but she could do so little. If what Klaus just told her was true, she had so much to learn and she had no idea how to learn them.  
When night came, she still hadn’t heard from Klaus. Finally, she received a text from him telling her he knew where Rebekah was. When she asked him if she could talk to her he said she couldn’t talk right now and that could only mean one thing.  
“You’re the worst brother ever.”  
“Need a place to live? I’m renovating a huge house. There’s a room for you here.”  
“Is that your way of telling me you need my help?”  
“We can’t help each other if we don’t know where we are.”  
“Call me when your house doesn’t need renovating anymore and I might think about it.”  
“Where’s your sense of adventure?”  
“In Chicago.”  
“Good one. See you tomorrow.”  
“What for?”  
“Threatening, compelling, killing…”  
“Good one. Have a good night Klaus.”

The next morning, Julie drove to Klaus’ house. It was even bigger than Elijah’s. And Klaus was right, it did need renovating. She tried not to walk on tools or paint and finally found Klaus after getting lost in the huge property.  
“You need to make a map of this place, Nik,” she sighed and he chuckled. “Wine? Really? It’s not even 10,” she told him as she saw the glass in his hand which made him laugh.  
“That’s not wine, love.”  
“Oh…” Julie felt stupid. “Of course not,” she sighed as she walked towards him. “So, what have you been up to?”  
“Same old, same old,” he sighed. “Threatening my way to what I want.”  
“And how’s that working for you so far?”  
Julie gasped and jumped as she heard Stefan behind her. He didn’t expect to see her here but he was amused by her reaction.  
“I’m surprised you’re still in town,” Klaus said. “I gave you your freedom, you could have gone anywhere.”  
“I live here, Klaus,” Stefan told him.  
“Well, if we’re playing this game, then, I was here first.”  
“You know, I don’t like you hybrids friends. They’re everywhere, kinda like fleas. I want them gone,” merely he said.  
“Yeah, well, I kinda like having them around,” Klaus answered. “You know, I’m hurt. I hoped that, uh, I'd free you and we'd pick up where we left off, but here you are, guzzling vervain like the rest of them, I'm sure. So much for friendship.”  
“Friends don’t strip friends of their free will.”  
“Ok, granted, yeah, that was a little extreme.”  
“A little?” Julie raised an eyebrow and looked up at Klaus who chuckled.  
“But I get a little moody. Just ask my siblings.” Julie rolled her eyes and shook her head then crossed her arms over her chest. “Speaking of whom…Isn’t it time you handed them over?”  
“Klaus,” Stefan sighed. “Get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls or I will remove them myself,” he threatened.  
“Hmm,” Klaus nodded. “You see, if you keep to threaten me, I’m going to be forced to retaliate,” he said. “Kill people. And it’ll get messy again.”  
“Really? And you’re okay with that?” Stefan chuckled and asked Julie.  
“It’s not about if I’m okay with it. It’s about you keeping Elijah in a box somewhere,” she told him and Klaus seemed happy with her answer.  
“Do whatever you want. I don’t really care,” he shrugged. “Or, you know what? Maybe I do. Yeah… Maybe I care so much that,” he stopped and grinned at Julie. “That I drop Elijah in the artic.”  
As soon as he said those words everything flammable in the room got on fire. Julie didn’t do it on purpose but she knew she could control it. Stefan looked around, confused and worried for an instant before he composed himself and tried to take a step forward but instead his feet got off the ground and in the next second his back was banging on the wall behind him.  
“Love, I’m trying to renovate this house please don’t burn it to the ground,” Klaus said.  
Julie watched Stefan try to get back on his feet and he looked up at her, confused. She gave him a look that could have killed him right on the spot and tilted her head a little before she took a step back and doing so, the fire was gone.  
“How are you doing this?” he asked but she had no intention of answering him.  
“Well,” Klaus cleared his throat. “Just know if you hurt my brother I’ll hurt yours.”  
“I’ll help,” Julie said. She had no problem whatsoever with hurting Damon.  
“Is everything okay?” one of Klaus’ hybrids asked, entering the room.  
“Everything’s fine, Mindy. Stefan was just leaving.” Stefan frowned then chuckled. Faster than Julie could see it, Stefan took the saw that was lying on the table next to him and cut Mindy’s head off. Julie gasped, terrified and Stefan looked proud of himself.  
“Well, one down. You may want to send the rest of them away before it gets messy…Again,” he grinned before he let the saw fall on the ground and then left.  
“What are you going to do now?” Julie asked with a trembling voice.  
“Retaliate,” he growled. She looked up at him, doubtful.  
“How?”  
“I have a few ideas.”  
“You’re not gonna kill anyone, are you?”  
“I’m just doing what it takes to get my brothers back,” he sighed. “I will call if I need you.”  
“Wait…You said I could do anything a witch can… Can’t a locator spell help us find them?”  
“And who is going to teach you how to do one?” Klaus had a point. Who could teach her magic?  
Then, a thought crossed her mind. The chest. Her mother’s chest that was in the storage and that she couldn’t open. She had no idea what was in it. It could be anything. There was no way her mother didn’t leave her anything about who she really was.  
“Klaus, could you….help me with something?” she asked.  
“What?”  
“I have this…chest, I can’t open. There’s a lock but I don’t have the key. I’m thinking…maybe my mother kept…books in it…like…”  
“Like a spell book?” Klaus said, skeptical.  
“Yeah…” she shrugged. “Maybe all she never told me is in it.”  
Klaus sighed. “And you want me to break the lock.”  
“Please?”  
“Well, it might be helpful in the future,” he shrugged. “Where is that chest?”  
Julie led Klaus to the storage and as soon as he saw the chest he recognized some symbols Julie just thought it was some random patterns.  
“What do they mean?” she asked.  
“You see this one,” he pointed at the first one painted in blue. “That’s the symbol of water. The one in green represents earth, the yellow one is air and the red one is fire. Now, I don’t really know what the purple one is or…” he walked over to look at the back of the chest where he found more symbols. “Or what the clear blue one is but I guess the dark symbol and the white one talk for themselves.”  
“Do they?”   
Klaus chuckled. “I guess darkness and light and maybe electricity and ice.”  
“I thought elementals could control the four elements not…”  
“Depends on how powerful they are, I guess,” Klaus told her. “You said you could control all four of them?”  
“I can. It’s…scaring me how easily it happens…”  
“Well, let’s open this thing, shall we? You might find out more about yourself.”  
Klaus easily tore the lock from the chest before he opened it. Inside, there was a huge book so big it could only be an old grimoire. The kind you see in movies. There were a few opened letters and other crystals like the one on her bracelet and other diaries.  
“Your mother left you quite the arsenal, love.”  
Julie kneeled and took the grimoire out. It was so heavy she looked up at Klaus and silently asked for help.   
“This look…old,” she said.  
“Must be at least 800 years old,” he nodded.  
She slowly and carefully opened it and noticed that the first page wasn’t written in English.  
“Do you know this language?”  
“I do. This says “The Practice of the Sacred Elements.””  
“The sacred elements?”  
“It’s an old book, at that time, magic was either a gift from God or Satan. I guess your ancestors chose their side.”  
“What else does it say?” she asked. She sounded curious and excited.  
“Love, I’d be happy to translate this for you but maybe at a better time?”  
“Right,” she nodded, disappointed. “Can you help me bring this to my car?”  
“I can help you get all those boxes in my house,” he grinned. “My offer still stands.”  
Julie sighed. “Sure,” she shrugged. “But I’m not moving in until your house has running water.”  
Klaus laughed and nodded. Once the boxes were in his car and the chest in hers they drove their way back to their own house.  
Back at Elijah’s place, she went through the entire book without stopping to eat or sleep. She couldn’t read it, though she thought she recognized some words but it didn’t make much sense. The book was full of drawings of mystical creatures and she wished she could speak the language because it all made her more and more curious. Vampires and werewolves didn’t surprise her but she found drawings of what appeared to be mermaids, fairies, giants, dwarves and other legendary creatures there was no way could exist.  
When the sun went up she still hadn’t finished going through the grimoire and she wasn’t going to stop. A little after noon, she could not not notice the hunger anymore. Though she decided to ignore her need for sleep she ate an apple and went back to the book. Around midnight, she finally closed the grimoire and took one of her mother’s diaries and settled in the couch and started reading it.  
She found out her mother always knew what she was. Her grandmother was a mermaid and her father controlled both fire and ice, which was unusual, even for the most powerful elementals. All the elements had been controlled by her ancestors but none of them ever controlled all of them at once. Her own mother controlled the four elements and electricity. Apparently, it was uncommon for a member of the Johnson’s family not to control at least all the primary elements. Julie learned she was part of one of the most powerful families of elementals and one of the oldest.  
Julie woke up on the couch, the diary had fallen on the floor. It was past noon when she opened her tired eyes. She was so hungry she took an apple from the kitchen, the last one, and ate it while she climbed up the stairs. She decided she needed a bath to relax. The bathroom was invaded with bubbles, small and big, while she relaxed in the hot water where she fell asleep again. When she woke up, she was freezing but it only took her a second to warm the water again so she wouldn’t be so cold when she got out. It was around 5 when she took her phone and noticed she had tones of missed calls from Klaus.  
“What’s up?” she asked.  
“What’s up?” he repeated. “You haven’t been answering your phone for one day.”  
“Were you worried about me?” she mocked.  
“I thought you wanted to help me.”  
“Do you need my help?”  
“No. But the house have running water,” he told her and she chuckled. “And your room is ready.”  
“Wow, you really must be feeling lonely up there,” she mocked.  
“Do you want to move in or not?”  
Julie sighed. Living in Elijah’s house was weird. Especially because he wasn’t there with her. “Sure,” she shrugged. “I’m packing some stuffs and I’ll be there soon.” Because if the hybrid felt lonely, she sure did too.  
“Need some help?”  
“Still not telling you where I am, Nik.”  
“Well, had to try. Come fast, I think you’ll be happy to see what I got to show you.”  
“What do you got to show me?” she asked.  
“You’ll see,” he said and he hung up.  
The house was almost finished. It looked beautiful. Julie looked around the many hallways and rooms she walked in and started to be happy about the choice she made to live there. She heard voices and she followed them. Stepping in the room, she didn’t notice right away how messy it was.  
“Klaus, could you help me…” she started to say but then she noticed the broken table and pieces of broken glass on the ground. “What happened…” she didn’t finish her sentence as she saw him standing a few feet from her, “here…”  
“Julie.”  
“Elijah,” she breathed out, not believing he was here. She stared at him with big eyes, her heart was beating faster and faster. She couldn’t move but in the next second he was just in front of her. He took her face in his hands and locked his eyes in hers.  
“Julie, what are you doing here?” he whispered, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.  
“I…” she started to say but she didn’t know what to say. “You’re here,” she breathed out a laugh and Elijah smiled as a tear fell down her cheek. He wiped it off with his thumb and she tiptoed and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight so she was sure he wouldn’t leave again.  
“Could you make out later?” Klaus growled but they ignored him. Elijah hugged her back, breathing in her scent.  
Julie moved away so she could look at Elijah. She took his face in her hands and shook her head. “I’m moving in,” she answered his previous question.  
Elijah frowned. “You are?” he asked.  
“You’re going to need your house back,” she nodded.  
“You’ve been living in my house?” he asked.  
“Yeah, sorry, I had nowhere else to go, and…” she gave a look to Klaus. “Nobody knew about it,” she shrugged.  
“What happened to your house?” he asked.  
“I sold it. I went after Klaus all summer trying to get you back…It didn’t go well,” she made a face. “So, since when have you been back? Is that what you had to show me? Where’s Rebekah?” she asked Klaus.  
“Damon Salvatore removed the dagger, I believe,” Elijah said, taking her hands in his. “Klaus had no intention of bringing me back so I suppose my sister is still in a box.”  
Klaus didn’t look happy, he looked down and growled. “She’s in her room.”  
“In a box,” Julie said. “But in her room.”  
Elijah kissed the back of her left hand before he took her face in his hands again. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he told her.  
Klaus rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’ll leave you to…catch up.”  
“How did you know what had happened?” That’s a question Klaus never bothered to ask.  
Julie frowned and looked around the room to see if Klaus was still there, even though she knew he could hear her.  
“A friend,” she vaguely answered, placing her hands over his. “I tried to get you back but I could never…” she tried to say but her words got stuck in her throat as her eyes filled up with tears. “I’m sorry,” is all she could say.  
“Stop, don’t apologize,” he told her. “This is all my brother’s fault.”  
“He’s been nice to me,” she said and it was half true.  
“Has he?” Elijah frowned and she nodded.  
“He didn’t hurt me,” she assured him. “Even when…”  
“Even when what?” Elijah started to get angry.  
“I…it’s nothing. He caught me when I was trying to find you,” she said. “He kinda…made me stay with him.”  
“Is this how you met my sister?”  
“The same day,” she nodded. “She’s nice,” she smiled. “Very different from her brothers,” she chuckled and Elijah smiled.  
“She’s stubborn,” he said and Julie laughed.  
“So…,” she cleared her throat. “Damon Salvatore removed the dagger?”  
“Yes,” he nodded. “Klaus managed to find out where Stefan had hid the coffins, unfortunately, we’re still missing one.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s alright, we will find it eventually,” he said.  
Julie took a deep breath and moved her hands on Elijah’s back and buried her face in his chest. “I missed you so much,” she whispered, tired and relieved he was finally here. Elijah hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.  
“I thought Klaus would kill you,” he said with a quiet voice. “I would never have imagined you’d be moving in with him when I come back…”  
“Does it bother you?” she asked, looking up at him.  
“I won’t let you alone with him. He made this house so we could be together, as a family. I have my place here. I would be thinking that he compelled you if I didn’t know you can’t be.”  
“I figured out why,” she told him and he seemed interested. “I’m an elemental,” she said and she saw surprise on his face.  
“I thought…”  
“They were all dead,” she nodded. “Not entirely true. I have this grimoire I can’t read but Klaus know the language. I’ve been going through it and some old diaries my mother used to keep. I have so many questions.”  
“I knew there was something special about you,” he smiled. “What element can you control?” he asked.  
“Fire, water, air and nature,” she told him. “And…maybe more…It’s just…all new.”  
“I’ll help you with your grimoire. My brother can’t be trusted.” Julie frowned. She was about to ask a question but he put a finger on his lips so she stopped talking. “You look…”  
“Terrible, I know,” she ran her hands through her hair.  
“I was going to say tired.”  
She smiled and looked down. “I haven’t had a good night of sleep in month,” she admitted. “Are you okay?” she asked. “How are you feeling?”  
“I’m fine,” he smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”  
“Sorry for what?” she asked, looking up at him.  
“I left you outside and when I came back, you were gone,” he said, his voice full of hurt.  
“I don’t even remember what happened,” she said. “The last time I saw you, you were going in the Salvatores’ house. This is not your fault.”  
“I should have been there.”  
“Hey,” she said, taking his face in her hands. “I’m ok, this is not your fault.” She locked her eyes in his and gave him a small smile before she tiptoed and kissed him. He kissed her back, moving his hands on her waist, bringing her closer to him. But he quickly moved back, he couldn’t be so close to her right now.  
“I’m sorry, I need to feed.”  
“I understand,” she said, taking a step forward. “It’s okay.”  
“I’m sure my brother has blood bags somewhere in the house,” he said and she nodded.  
“My stuffs are in my car. I’ll find Klaus and ask him where my room is.”  
“Ask him where my room is,” he insisted on the ‘my’. “I’ll help you with your bags,” he told her before he kissed her forehead. “We have so much to talk about,” he said and she nodded. He was about to walk away but she stopped him and hugged him again. She didn’t want him to leave her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in his scent.  
“I missed you so much.”


	19. Blood

Klaus was nowhere to be found. Elijah helped Julie get her stuffs in what he chose to be their room. She was getting her clothes in the dresser while Elijah went looking for blood bags. He found plenty in the fridge, but if Julie were to live in this house, he thought they should get another fridge just for blood bags. He stared at them with disgust. Just the thought of drinking cold blood like that ever again made him sick. But what disgusted him more is that he wanted Julie’s blood. And only her blood. After last time she let him feed on her, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was the most delicious blood he had ever tasted and he didn’t want to drink anything else, ever again. He sighed, closed the fridge and went back to his room.  
“If I had known, I would have brought you some clothes,” she told him as he closed the door.  
“It’s alright. We’ll go tomorrow,” he said as he approached her.  
“Where’s Klaus?” she asked.  
“He left,” he answered. “I don’t know where.”  
“He didn’t look happy to see you,” she said and he chuckled.  
“He knew I was going to be angry.”  
“I saw you showed him you were,” she smiled. “Should we help Rebekah? Klaus isn’t here to stop us.”  
“Not yet,” he smiled. “Soon.” Julie frowned as she saw him grinned.  
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked. He sighed and placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to him.  
“My brother thinks his actions will go unpunished.”  
“You’re not going to kill him, are you?” she asked, worried.  
“I wouldn’t know how,” he told her. “But he’ll pay.”  
Julie sighed and looked down. “He deserves whatever is coming to him,” she said.  
Elijah smiled and kissed the top of her head. “You’ve changed,” he said. “You used not to like it when people got hurt.”  
“You should’ve seen me the other day,” she chuckled. “You should’ve seen the look on Stefan’s face when I used my powers against him.”  
“What happened?” he asked.  
“He threatened you,” she said. “So I threatened him back,” she shrugged. Elijah frowned and wondered if he liked that new part of her.  
“How long have you known you were an elemental?” he asked.  
“Over a month.”  
“You’ve been practicing on your own?”  
“Yes,” she nodded. “I don’t think I can use magic without this bracelet, though,” she told him, showing him the crystals.  
“Where did you get that?” he asked.  
“A witch gave it to me.”  
“Where did you find a witch?”  
Julie frowned. “What’s wrong?” she asked.  
“You shouldn’t trust witches,” he told her.  
“I don’t trust anyone,” she said. “But it hasn’t done anything else than she said it would. And…I wasn’t alone. She wouldn’t have lied.”  
“Who was with you?”  
“A friend,” she repeated, walking away from him.  
“Who is that friend you keep mentioning.”  
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. She knew he didn’t like Katherine and he will only tell her that she cannot be trusted. “I’m starving,” she changed the subject. “Did you see anything else than blood bags in the kitchen?”  
“It was Katherine, wasn’t it?” he guessed. “She was the only one who knew I was daggered.”  
Julie sighed. “She came to my house and told me what Klaus did. She said she was going after Klaus anyway and that she wouldn’t mind the company.”  
“Katherine is dangerous,” he warned her.  
“I spent most of the summer with her. She’s nice and I know I can trust her. She worries about me. And she’s my friend. I don’t want to talk about it with you. I know you don’t like her.”  
“And for the good reasons,” he said. “She can’t be trusted.”  
“I know. Okay?” Julie said, annoyed. “But you weren’t there. You don’t know anything about it.”  
Elijah sighed. “And where is she now?”  
“She left. She tried to kill Klaus so she’s running,” she sighed, sad. “And she never hurt me,” she told him. “We’re friends. I doubt you’ll understand.”  
“Why? Because I don’t have friends?” he asked, vexed.  
“No. Because you don’t trust her. And you have your reasons but with me…she’s different.”  
“She’s manipulative. Why would she be different with you?”  
“I told you. She’s my friend.”  
The conversation was going nowhere. None of them wanted to fight so they both decided to talk about something else.  
“I saw food in the kitchen. I’ll cook,” he said before he left the room. Julie sighed. She didn’t think they’ll fight the night he’ll be back. She followed him and found him in the kitchen, his back turned to her as he was making sandwiches on the kitchen counter.  
She placed her hands around his waist and hugged him.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start a fight,” she said and he sighed.  
“No, I’m sorry. You’re right, I don’t know what happened this summer. I’m just worried,” he said before he turned around. “Just the fact that you’re friends with my brother worries me.”  
“I know,” she sighed. “He’s scary,” she said and he chuckled. “But I’m okay.”  
“Have you had any more trouble with Damon Salvatore?” he asked.  
“No,” she shook her head.  
“I should have killed him,” he growled, still angry about what had happened a few months ago.  
“Sure would’ve saved us a lot of trouble,” Julie said which made him laugh. She tiptoed to kiss him but he moved away, he didn’t trust himself at this moment.  
“You found blood, didn’t you?” she asked, worried.  
“Yes,” he said, turning back to the counter.  
Julie sighed. She didn’t like to think he was suffering.  
“Elijah, if you need blood…”  
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “There’s plenty of blood in the fridge. I’ll be fine.”  
“Just know that I don’t mind,” she told him. She wanted to make sure he knew that she’ll give him what he needed. Elijah sighed and turned around to face her again.  
“You’re not my personal walking blood bag,” he said, which made her frown. “Your blood is not like the others. You’re an elemental, I can’t get used to it.”  
“What do you mean, it’s not like the others?”  
“It’s…” he sighed.  
“Is it…not good?” she asked and he shook his head.  
“It’s delicious,” he told her, taking a step forward, blocking her against the counter that was behind her and him. “That’s why I can’t get used to it…I’m...I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop,” he admitted.  
“You stopped last time,” she reminded him.  
“Last time I didn’t take as nearly as much as I needed,” he told her. “I stopped while I still could.”  
Julie sighed and looked down. “I know you would never hurt me,” she whispered.  
“You don’t know anything,” he said, moving his hands on her waist which made her look up. She saw he was looking at her neck and she knew what he was thinking.  
“Can you smell it?” she asked and he closed his eyes. “Do you want me to go?” she asked with a trembling voice.  
“No,” he quickly answered. He sighed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated, turning back to make the sandwiches. She sighed and didn’t move for a moment, just watching him.  
“I missed you,” she repeated in a whisper. He stayed silent for a minute and she wondered if he had heard her.  
“When Klaus daggered me I was sure he’d kill you if he hadn’t already done it,” he said with a low voice. “I was sure when Klaus would undagger me, you’d be long gone. That I’d never see you again.” There was so much hurt in his voice Julie’s heart break a little. She took one step and hugged him again, as tight as she could.  
“I’m here,” she said and he placed his hands over hers.  
“My brother’s liking to you scares me. He’s dangerous.”  
“I can defend myself,” she told him even though she knew she couldn’t do much against Klaus.  
Elijah chuckled and turned around. “You think you’re strong enough to go against my brother?” Julie shook her head and looked down.  
“No,” she said. “But I can hurt him back.” Elijah sighed. He took a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear. She looked up and gave him a small smile. She saw he was looking at her neck again. She took his face in her hands and tiptoed to kiss him. He kissed her back, this time, not moving away. She moved her hands in his hair and she gasped when he lifted her off her feet and sat her down on the counter. He kissed her like he had never kissed her before, like that kiss would erase those last months when he was away. But quickly, the hunger came back and he couldn’t ignore the smell of blood, of her blood. It was too strong, he was too close. He broke the kiss and breathed heavily, trying to refrain himself.  
“Just do it, Elijah,” she said, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt her. She ran her hands through her hair to clear her neck. She saw in his eyes he was struggling. He wanted to so much but he was too scared of not being able to stop. “Don’t worry,” she said with a soft voice, giving him a small smile. “I can defend myself, remember? I just don’t want you to suffer anymore. Let me help you.”  
Elijah sighed. He slowly approached her neck, and like last time, he placed kisses before he did anything. She could feel his nose grazing her neck. He was breathing in the smell of blood and he bit her hard, harder than last time, without any warning. She moaned and squeezed his arm as his teeth pierced in her skin. His left hand was moving on her waist as his other hand was in her hair. She fisted his shirt, trying not to make any noise so he wouldn’t stop by fear he’d hurt her. He drank more than he had the first time. Elijah could easily lose himself in the moment and forget he was drinking Julie’s blood. It was harder to hold on to reality but he had to because if he let himself go for one second, Julie would die. He focused on her heartbeat rather than on the taste of the red liquid running through his throat. It started to slow down and he knew he had to stop. But he didn’t. More and more, the sound of her heart got weaker and he couldn’t do anything but feel how powerful her blood was making him. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted. But then, the small pressure on his arm disappeared. She let go of his shirt and rested her head against his.  
Suddenly, something stronger than hunger pierced Elijah’s heart. He backed off immediately, terrified. But his sudden movement startled her and worried her.  
“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing a hand on her neck as blood was running down her shoulder.  
Elijah sighed, relieved. “I thought…” Julie frowned and brought her free hand to his mouth and wiped off a little blood.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked, confused.  
“Nothing,” he shook his head before he hugged her. She hugged him back, still confused and smiled when he placed a kiss in her hair.  
“Have you had enough?” she asked.  
“More than enough,” he nodded and she gave him a content smile. “How are you feeling?”  
“Well,” she sighed, getting back on her feet. “I’m still starving.”  
Elijah laughed and nodded. He bit his wrist and gave it to her and she knew what to do.  
“I’ll finish the sandwiches, you’ll need to eat and rest.”  
“See?” she asked. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”  
Elijah shook his head. “Still, I shouldn’t get used to your blood.”  
“On the contrary,” she said. “If you’re used to it there is no more danger.” She didn’t really think it through, offering herself as a “walking blood bag” to a vampire.  
“I get what you mean,” he said, placing his hands on her waist and bringing her closer to him. She hugged him back and smiled as he kissed the top of her head again. “Thank you.”


	20. The Dinner

Elijah didn’t sleep. It was like that every time he was daggered, he didn’t sleep for days. And Julie’s blood just gave him more energy and he drank so much he definitely wasn’t going to fall asleep. His mind wandered in dark places, trying to figure out a way to get rid of his brother for good, among other things. When Klaus daggered him, Julie was just this young human who had no clue what world she lived in. Now, she was an elemental living with his hybrid brother and her best friend was the manipulative “psycho bitch” vampire Katherine Pierce. He could hear her breathe, hear her calm heartbeat as he stroke her hair. He couldn’t see her in the dark room as she was lying in his arms. This young girl he didn’t know and who didn’t know him for more than a few months had given up everything to find and help him. She left school, sold her mother’s house and left town with a vampire to go after him. This wasn’t just a crush. This was more dangerous than that.  
When Julie woke up, she was alone. The light came through the thick curtains and hurt her eyes. She was feeling dizzy. She had trouble getting up. She didn’t know what was wrong, just that Elijah wasn’t there with her and she feared she had dreamt it all. Maybe last night didn’t really happen. She got out of the room and staggered down the hallway. She was feeling worst and worst and didn’t even take 5 steps that she couldn’t stand on her feet anymore. She lost balance but as she was expecting to hit the floor, someone caught her and helped her.  
“Easy, love,” she recognized Klaus’ voice. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.  
“Klaus,” she could only whisper.  
“That’s alright,” he sighed before he bit his wrist. “My brother was hungry last night I see,” he said. “He should’ve given you his blood…I’m surprised he didn’t.”  
Julie pushed his hand away. “He did,” she told him. Klaus sighed and insisted she had to drink more.  
“Well, he obviously didn’t give you enough.”  
Julie had had a good night of sleep and she wondered if Klaus was right. It surprised her that even after drinking Elijah’s blood, she would suffer from giving him hers. Klaus removed his hand after a minute, still holding her waist to make sure she wouldn’t fall.  
“How are you feeling now?” he asked.  
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to move away from him. But she tripped after the first step and Klaus had to help her again.  
“I think you need to go back to bed,” he said.  
“I’m fine,” she repeated. “Where’s Elijah?”  
“I don’t know,” he said, surprised she didn’t know. “He just left. Wonder what he’s plotting,” he mumbled.  
“Maybe he just needed to take a walk. He’s been stuck in a box for months,” she said, angry.  
“Well, you’re in a good mood, love.”  
“Get off me,” she pushed him away. Her head was still spinning and she figured she’d feel better after she ate.  
“You’re not supposed to feel dizzy,” Klaus told her. “If Elijah gave you his blood, you’re supposed to be healthy.”  
“Maybe I just need to eat,” she said, walking away from him. He walked with her to make sure she wouldn’t fall again. “Thanks for helping me…for giving me your blood,” she said.  
“I doubt Elijah would be happy to find you lying unconscious in the hallway.”  
“Wouldn’t want to make your big brother angrier,” she sighed. “Where did you go last night anyway?”  
“Well,” he sighed. “I thought you might use a little privacy,” he grinned.  
“How thoughtful.”  
“You’re welcome. You know, I wondered why all my blood bags were still in the fridge but seeing how pale you are I take it my brother didn’t need any.”  
“Why is this any of your business?” she sighed, opening the fridge. She sighed when she saw the blood bags and felt like she was going to throw up. She closed it and took a deep breath so she wouldn’t be sick.  
“Sorry about that, love. I’ll get another fridge.”  
She looked around and saw a bowl of fruits and took an apple from it. She leaned on the counter and ate in silence.  
“You didn’t apologize,” she said. It wasn’t a question.  
“I don’t apologize. Never,” he said.  
“You do when you kill your siblings. You apologize to your brother. You apologize to me.”  
Klaus frowned. “Why would I apologize to you?”  
Julie chuckled. “You really don’t know, do you?”  
Klaus took an apple and they both ate in silence.  
“You’re not going to say what you want me to apologize for?” he asked.  
Julie sighed and shook her head. “You took him from me,” she said. “I just got him back and you took him from me.” She looked up at him and she saw he wasn’t proud of himself even though he would never admit it. “If you want your siblings to ever forgive you…you’re gonna have to apologize, Nik.”  
Klaus wouldn’t look at her. Julie wasn’t feeling any better, she felt like she actually was getting worse. She took another apple and kept eating in silence. When she finished the second apple she was feeling a little better.  
“I killed my mother,” Klaus said and he didn’t have to say anything more.  
“Yes, you did,” Julie said before she left the kitchen.  
She went back to her room and entered the bathroom to see that Klaus wasn’t lying. She was really pale. She saw there was a huge bathtub and decided that a bath couldn’t hurt. She closed her eyes and relaxed in the hot water. She wasn’t wearing her bracelet so it surprised her to see all these bubbles floating all around the room. She smiled and slowly approached her hand from one of the bubbles close to her and it froze instantly before it broke. She could feel the power running through her body, it was cold, but she didn’t shiver, she didn’t even feel cold. It was the first time she used the element of ice. She didn’t even know she could and she didn’t even try. She had just discovered a new power, a new part of herself. She looked around and all the bubble of the room froze and broke and fell on the floor. The water turned cold suddenly. Julie was freezing. The first thought that crossed her mind was to get out of the water but she didn’t. She could control fire, she didn’t have to be cold. The water warmed up as quickly as it got cold. It was so easy. Even without the bracelet she could do anything. Fire, water, air and now ice. She couldn’t wait to find out what else she could do. She had to get back to Elijah’s house to bring her mother’s journals back here so she could learn more about who she was.  
When she got out of the bathroom, she found Elijah in the armchair next to the bed, reading a book.  
“Hey,” she smiled when she saw him. “Where did you go?” she asked.  
Elijah closed the book, got up and put it down on the dresser. “I had some business to attend to,” he said.  
“You got a haircut,” she said, sliding her hands in his shortened hair.  
“I needed some change,” he smiled.  
“I like it,” she smiled back. “What business?”  
He sighed. “We need to talk,” he said and she lost her smile. Movies taught her this wasn’t good. She took a step back and he saw she looked worried.  
“It’s not what you think,” he told her and she frowned.  
“What is it?”  
“I need to know…to make sure…I have a question I want to ask you.”  
“Okay…,” Julie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear that question.  
“Klaus just left the house,” he said. “We can talk freely.”  
“Talk about what?”  
“I’m leaving town,” he said and her heart skipped a beat.  
“What?” she whispered.  
“I met with Damon Salvatore,” he told her. “Tonight, he and his brother will come to dinner. We have a plan. Before midnight tonight, my siblings will be back. And we’re going to leave Klaus. I’m leaving town with my siblings tonight, and I need to know if you’re coming with me.”  
Julie was speechless. She had no idea what to say. Elijah was expecting a “yes” or a “no” and even though he lived a thousand years, these few seconds seemed like an eternity.  
“You’re leaving Klaus?” she whispered. “You’re leaving?” she asked again with a trembling voice.  
“Yes,” he nodded and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you coming with me?” he asked again. She looked at him with big eyes and he couldn’t look away as he was waiting for her answer.  
“Where are we going?” she asked, still surprised by what she’d just heard. Elijah smiled and breathed out a laugh, relieved.  
“I don’t know yet,” he said before he kissed her forehead and pulled her in a hug. She didn’t hug him back right away. She was still processing what had just happened. She was leaving Mystic Falls, again. But this time, she will be with him.  
“What if your brothers don’t like me?” she asked, trying to be funny. Elijah laughed and kissed the top of her head.  
“You’ll be fine,” he said. He took her face in his hands and leaned to kiss her. She slid her hands to the back of his neck and pulled him to her, deepening the kiss. She broke the kiss to breathe and he kissed her forehead. “We need to pack,” he said and she sighed.  
“I just unpacked yesterday.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“I still have things at your place.”  
“I know. We will go there first so Klaus doesn’t suspect anything.”  
Julie sighed and looked down. “His biggest fear is to be alone,” she said.  
“I know,” he nodded and cupped her cheek with his hand. “That’s why we’re doing it.” She looked up at him and she knew this was revenge. She felt bad for Klaus but there was no way she wasn’t going to leave with Elijah.  
“I guess…He deserves it,” she said.  
“You’re not having doubts about leaving him, are you?” he asked and she sighed.  
“It’s just…I feel bad.”  
Elijah sighed and gently lifted her chin to make her look at him. “Of course you do,” he gave her a small smile. “You’re a better person than I am.”  
“Don’t say that. I understand why you would want to leave and never see him again. But…”  
“But…?”  
“He’s sorry,” she said. “He’ll never say it but…”  
“You don’t know that,” he told her. “Klaus is a monster. He’ll hurt you the minute he decides you’re too annoying to keep around. He’ll hurt you to hurt me. We can’t stay here.”  
“…I’m not annoying,” she said and he laughed.  
“You’re missing the point.”  
“Klaus is a monster,” she nodded and looked down.  
“Come on,” he took her hand. “Let’s get your things.”  
Julie stayed silent in the car as Elijah was driving to his house. He explained the plan to her and he knew she was listening because she nodded every time he asked her if she understood. He knew she was feeling bad for leaving Klaus and he felt bad for making her do it. But it was safer this way. She would be safer away from Klaus.  
Elijah packed up a few books he didn’t want to leave behind and helped Julie with her things. There were a few boxes she hadn’t unpacked and her mother’s chest.  
“Is this your mother’s grimoire?” he asked. “The one Klaus said he’d help you with?”  
“Yes,” she nodded, walking towards him. The grimoire was open on the kitchen counter. There were drawings of fairies and small legendary creatures on the pages. “Does it say fairies are real?” she joked.  
“According to these pages, yes,” he said. “But I doubt it’s true.”  
“What about mermaids? I’ve you ever met one?”  
“Mermaids aren’t real,” he shook his head.  
“Sure they are,” she frowned. “My grandmother was one.”  
“How do you know this?” he asked, surprised.  
“It was in my mother’s journal,”’ she shrugged.  
“It’s unbelievable,” he shook his head. “I lived a thousand years without knowing mermaids existed.”  
“What do you know about elementals?” she asked.  
“I thought they were extinct,” he said. “There were a lot more elementals a thousand years ago.” He turned the pages to go back to the first one. “At the time, one elemental could control rather fire, water, air or nature. But more and more, elementals with two parents controlling two different elements started to control those two elements. And then their own children would control two or three, sometimes the four elements. Those who could control electricity, at the time, were considered dangerous. Some group of elementals were very religious. They thought God gave them the powers of the four elements but that Satan gave the other elements like ice or electricity. So they started to hunt them down. That’s how your kind started to disappear.”  
“They killed each other,” she whispered.  
“Yes. Some sought the help of witches. But witches and elementals never were the best of friends.”  
“Why not?” she frowned.  
“Because elementals were always more powerful than witches. They were jealous. Witches are servants of nature and they felt like they deserved the same powers as them. So they betrayed them.”  
“How?” Julie was fascinating by the story. The story of her ancestors.  
“Well, it didn’t happen in one night,” he told her. “But elementals started to hide from their own. They didn’t’ trust anyone. Very quickly, they got weaker as they stopped using their powers. And so, their children were born powerless.” Elijah kept turning the pages but looked up as Julie’s silence. “Are you okay?”  
She looked up and nodded. “Yeah…” she cleared her throat. “What does the book say?” she asked, looking down at the grimoire. Elijah looked at her in silence for a minute before he moved the book in front of her and placed himself behind her. He turned the pages and stopped at the beginning of the book.  
“This is a phoenix,” he said, pointing at the drawing of the big red bird on the second page. “It is said that this creature is the first known elemental.”  
“Phoenixes never really existed, did they?”  
“I don’t think so. They’re just legends.”  
“Just like mermaids?” she asked and he chuckled.  
“Who knows?” he whispered. He moved his hands on her waist and placed a kiss in the crook of her neck. She placed her hands over his and leaned against his chest and sighed. She interlaced her fingers with his and he kept kissing her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying his hands on her body and the feeling of his lips on her skin.  
“Elijah.” His name came out of her mouth like a whisper and she didn’t even realize it. He grinned. He liked that he had this effect on her.  
“Come on,” he said. “I still have to compel the waitresses.”  
“The waitresses?” she asked, confused.  
“For tonight’s dinner?”  
“You hired waitresses?”  
“Of course, who is going to serve dinner?”  
Julie laughed. “Are they going to serve dinner or to be served as dinner?”  
Elijah chuckled. “Don’t worry, there will be real food too.”  
“Too,” she sighed. “As long as nobody kills anybody, I’m fine.”  
“Killing anyone is not part of the plan.”  
“And we can trust Damon to follow the plan?”  
“He’s doing it to protect Elena,” he nodded. “Let’s go.”  
They got back to the house and Julie started packing the clothes she had just unpacked the night before.  
“What if Klaus asks what we’re doing?” she whispered so the hybrid wouldn’t hear her.  
“We’ll just tell him it’s your clothes from my place,” he said. “Our guests will arrive soon, we should get ready.” She sighed and nodded. She had no intention of dressing nice for Damon or Stefan but she didn’t want to be undressed either so she chose the first dress she found and put it on. It was black and not too short and she wore the only black heels she owned.  
“You look beautiful,” he told her as he entered the room.  
She blushed, smiled and looked down. “Thank you,” she said. “Nice suit.” Elijah chuckled and held his hand out. She smiled and took his hand and they joined Klaus in the dining room.  
“Don’t you look pretty love,” he said.  
“Thank you,” she shyly replied. Seeing the hybrid only reminded her of the plan that will leave him alone for the rest of forever. Elijah heard her heart started to beat a little faster. He gently squeezed her hand which made her look up and she gave him a small smile.  
“I believe our guests are here,” he sighed, walking towards the door. There were two knocks and Elijah opened almost instantly. “Niklaus,” he called. “Our guests have arrived.”  
Julie took a few steps back towards the hybrid, close to the chimney. She could feel the power of the fire burning in the fire place which distracted her for a moment.  
“Damon, Stefan. Elijah tells me you seek an audience. Very bold,” he mocked. “Let’s discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?” he said, pointing at the table.  
“It’s better to indulge him,” Elijah said, closing the door and walking back towards Julie.  
“What are you doing here?” Damon asked, making a face.  
“She lives here Damon,” Klaus grinned. “Be polite to your host.” Damon frowned but Stefan didn’t really care about all that.  
“I didn’t come here to eat, Klaus,” he sighed. “In fact, I didn’t want to come here at all but I was told I had to, ‘cause you would hear us out.”  
Klaus grinned again, amused. “Hmm. Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides,” he said, sitting at the table. “Choice is yours.”  
Julie sighed, roller her eyes and shook her head. This was going to be a long night.  
Damon and Stefan didn’t really have a choice. They slowly walked their way to the table where they sat in front of Klaus. Elijah pulled out the chair so Julie could sit next to his brother. She looked up and smiled, not surprised he would do something like that. Elijah had manners. He sat at her right and Klaus waved for the three girls that were in the room to start serving dinner.  
Stefan wasn’t eating. Damon was being a polite guess and he was nice with the waitresses. He showed patience with Klaus who really wanted to talk about anything but what the Salvatores brothers came for. Julie wasn’t comfortable at all. She knew what was really happening, what was going to happen. She knew how it was supposed to end and even though what was in her plate looked delicious, she really wasn’t hungry.  
“Thank you, love,” Damon thanked a waitress who had just poured more wine in his glass.  
“You lost your appetite,” Klaus told Stefan who hadn’t touched his plate either.  
“Eat,” Damon told him. “I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home.”  
Stefan cleared his throat and decided to take a bite of his meal.  
“That’s the spirit,” Klaus smiled. “Isn’t it nice? The five of us dining together. Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?”  
“Well, I know what he felt about you,” he said which made Klaus laugh. “I figured the more the merrier.”  
“Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it through.”  
Julie’s heart started to beat faster again and she felt a little dizzy. She looked up at Elijah who saw she really wasn’t comfortable and took her hand in his and gave her a discreet and small smile.  
“Kind of like you and Rebekah, right?” Stefan asked just to annoy Klaus. “Where is she, by the way? Last I checked, she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her.”  
“If you’re referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed out mother,” he said. “I already come clean to Elijah.”  
“Hey, Stef’, remember when you killed dad?” Damon asked. “Might want to dial down the judgment till dessert.”  
“We’re here to make a deal, Damon,” his brother reminded him. “Doesn’t mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses,” he said which amused Klaus.  
“I’m just saying, we have a long night ahead of us. Pace yourself.”  
“Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?” Elijah changed the subject.  
“I don’t know. Asked Damon,” he answered which surprised him. He looked down at Julie who shrugged. She knew Stefan and Elena had broken up but that’s all she knew.  
Klaus laughed at Stefan’s answer. “I’m sorry you missed so much,” he told his brother. “Uh,” cleared his throat. “Trouble in paradise.”  
“Wonder who’s fault it is,” Julie mumbled which made Klaus laugh again.  
“What was that love?”  
“You heard me,” she told him and he laughed again.  
“One more word about Elena and this dinner is over,” Stefan threatened which amused the hybrid.  
“You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile,” Damon said.  
“You’re probably right,” Klaus nodded. But of course, he wasn’t going to stop now. “It’s just, the allure of the Petrova Doppelganger is still so strong. What do you say, brother?” he asked Elijah but he was looking at Julie. She looked up at him and frowned before she turned to Elijah who was looking down. “Should we tell them about Tatia?”  
“Now why would we discuss matters long since resolved?” Elijah breathed out a laugh, uncomfortable.  
“Who’s Tatia?” Julie asked, looking at Elijah.  
“Now she’s interested. And given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originators of the Petrova line.”  
Tatia was Katherine and Elena’s ancestor and apparently a good friend to both Elijah and Klaus.  
“Well, we’re not going anywhere, Elijah,” Damon said. “Please, do tell.”  
Elijah sighed, he didn’t want to hurt Julie with old stories. But he was a thousand years old vampire and she wasn’t stupid. She knew he had had girlfriends before. Women he fell in love with.  
“When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia,” Elijah started to tell. “She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor. Even though she’d had a child with another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus.”  
“Oh I say there was one who loved her at least as much,” Klaus said. Julie knew Klaus was doing this to annoy his brother but he wondered if he knew she actually didn’t want to hear any of this.  
“Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?” Stefan asked, amused.  
Elijah sighed. “Our mother was a really powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. And Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia’s blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed a spell which turned us into vampires.” Elijah took his glass of wine and drank from it, trying to hide that this still hurt him to this day. Klaus didn’t look very happy either. “Tatia wouldn’t make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I…grew estranged,” he explained. “Harsh words were traded. We even came to blows, didn’t we, brother?” he asked Klaus.  
“But in the end we recognized the sacred bond of family,” the hybrid said which made Julie chuckle. She let out a loud laugh but instantly apologized.  
“I’m sorry,” she laughed.  
“Glad this is amusing you, love,” Klaus said.  
“Someone obviously didn’t learn much from that lesson,” she told him. He frowned and gave her an angry look which didn’t scare her. She raised her eyebrows to show him she wasn’t impressed. Elijah tried not to laugh but Julie saw an amused smile on his face.  
Plates empty, the girls cleaned the table as Elijah finally came to the point.  
“So, why don’t we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?”  
“Well, it’s very simple,” Damon said. “Klaus gets his coffin back. In exchange, he, and the original extended family, leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan and Elena live happily ever after, no grudges.”  
“Deal sounds fair, brother,” Elijah said. Of course, everybody knew Klaus would refuse this.  
“I don’t think you understand,” he said. “I can’t do that because Elena’s doppelganger blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind. Let’s say I do leave her here, under your protection. What then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse. How long before she dies, caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you’re the one that can protect her. And that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen…The worst thing for Elena Gilbert is the two of you.”  
That was a subtle way to say it. Julie sighed.  
“I’m going to get some air,” Damon said, he didn’t want to hear more of this, before he left the room.  
“Let me deal with this,” Elijah said. He gave a look to Julie before he got up and followed the vampire out of the room. It was time to wake his siblings.  
“All this talk made me thirsty,” Klaus said. He looked at the blonde girl next to the chimney who walked towards him as soon as he said those words. “What do you say, Stefan? Can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?”  
“Please, don’t,” Julie sighed. Klaus grinned but bit in the neck of the human anyway without moving his gaze from Julie. She looked away disgusted.  
“Mmh, delicious,” he said, letting the dead girl fall on the ground. “Aged to perfection.”  
“Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother,” Stefan said, getting up from his chair.  
“Oh, no, you’re doing that well enough on your own,” the hybrid said. “Because of Elena, you’re going to lose your brother, and you’ll only have yourself to blame.”  
Damon and Elijah came back in the room and interrupted the two vampires’ argument.  
“What do you say, Klaus?” Damon asked, coming to stand next to his brother. “It’s time for you to put something on the table. We’ve made our offer. Now you counter.”  
“Ok,” he nodded. “I offer Elena’s future happiness,” he said, sitting down on the chair just next to Julie. Elijah approached and stood right behind her. “You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot and to fall in love with a human. Maybe that nice football player, you know, the blonde one,” he said, looking up at Elijah.  
“Matt Donovan? Really?” Damon asked, annoyed.  
“Yeah, why not? They’ll marry, live a long fruitful life and pop out a perfect family.”  
“And continue the Petrova bloodline,” Stefan finished Klaus’ thought. “Every few hundred years you’ll have a new doppelganger to drain and never run out of hybrids. Right, Klaus?”  
“Consider it a small return on my investment on her well-being. See, after you hand me back the coffin, I’ll endure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it’s what’s best for her. So…What do you say, Stefan?” Klaus asked, getting up and walking towards the chimney. “Do we have a deal?”  
Stefan walked towards Klaus. “What are you doing?” Damon asked him. Klaus held his hand out waiting for the vampire to shake it and seal the deal. Stefan took Klaus’ hand making everyone believe he agreed with the hybrid.  
“Nice try Klaus,” he grinned. “But no deal.”  
Klaus immediately lost his smile and broke Stefan’s hand. He then kicked his knee and broke it as well. Julie jumped on her feet as Klaus brought Stefan’s hand to the fire. Damon tried to help his brother but Elijah stopped him and pushed him against the wall.  
“What are you doing?” he managed to ask despite Elijah’s hand on his throat.  
Stefan’s hand was burning and Damon asked him to stop, defeated.  
“Now bring me my coffin before I burn him alive,” Klaus ordered.  
“I’ll get it,” Damon said, leaving the room.  
Julie looked up at Elijah, silently asking him if she should help Stefan but he shook his head and she nodded. She felt bad not being able to help the suffering vampire, but there was no point in making Klaus even angrier.  
“Go with him, brother. Keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family.” Elijah didn’t say anything. He knew his brother was lying, but that didn’t matter. He left the room and followed Damon, leaving Julie with Klaus and Stefan.  
“Go ahead, kill me! I know you’ll do it when he brings the coffin!”  
Julie stepped back as Klaus pushed Stefan on his feet and away from the chimney.  
“You really have given up, haven’t you, huh?” Klaus said. “Where’s the fight? Where’s the ripper?!” he pushed Stefan again but Stefan pushed him back. But Elijah came back in the room followed by Damon and a waitress, and interrupted them. “Elijah. Why haven’t you left?” he asked.  
Elijah held his hand out to Julie who was across the room. She looked at Klaus before she walked towards him and placed her hand in his. Elijah brought her to him and put a hand on her waist, to keep her close and make sure that whatever was going to happen next, she wasn’t going to be hurt. “Well, where are your manners, brother? You forgot dessert,” he said, removing the napkin that was covering the plate the waitress was holding, showing Klaus two silver daggers.  
“What have you done?” he asked, suddenly fearful.  
“What have you done?” he echoed. “See, I’ve learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We’re doing this on my terms now,” he said. A young man Julie had never seen before appeared behind Elijah.  
“Kol,” Klaus said with a trembling voice, taking a step back.  
“Long time, brother,” he said.  
Klaus tried to reach for a dagger but another man, a little older, with longer hair, took the weapon before he could.  
“Finn, don’t,” he said but the dagger went through his hand and he screamed in pain. Trying to leave the room, he met with Rebekah who stabbed him in the stomach. Julie closed her eyes and buried her head in Elijah’s chest, she didn’t want to see that.  
“This is for our mother,” she said, pushing him back in the room. His brother Kol held him so he wouldn’t try to run again.  
“You’re free to go,” he said to the Salvatores. “This is family business.” Julie looked up at him and tried to move away so she could leave the room and let them talk as a family but he smiled and brought her back to his chest, not letting her go.  
“Julie,” Rebekah smiled when she saw her friend.  
“Hey,” she smiled and waved at her.  
“I see you finally got my brother back,” she smiled and Julie nodded.  
“Julie, this is my older brother Finn and my younger brother Kol,” he introduced his siblings to her.  
“Nice to meet you, love,” Kol grinned.  
“Pleasure to meet,” Finn nodded.  
“Nice to meet you,” she shyly whispered.  
“Look at that, brother, you got yourself a girlfriend that Klaus hasn’t killed yet,” Kol said, turning back to Klaus before he punched him in the face. His words made Julie squeeze Elijah’s hand a little harder and she looked away from Klaus’ beating.  
Finally, they let him go and they all kept silent for a moment. Julie had never seen him this weak, for once he had nothing to say.  
“I like what you’ve done with the new place, Nik,” Rebekah said, taking a vase to throw it on a wall. Julie jumped, startled by the noise. Elijah brought her a little closer to him, he knew she was uncomfortable.  
“I wanted it to be for all of us,” he said with a trembling voice. “A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again.”  
“Oh, you’re right,” Elijah said. “None of us will be.”  
“You’re staying behind,” Finn said.  
“We’re leaving you, Nik,” Rebekah said. “Right after I kill that doppelganger wench. Then you will be alone. Always and forever.”  
“If you run, I will hunt all of you down.”  
“And then you’ll become everything you hate,” Elijah said. “Our father.”  
“I’m the hybrid,” he shouted, which made Julie jumped. “I can’t be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you!”  
“You will when we have that coffin,” Elijah said which made Julie frown and look up at him. What did that mean?  
Klaus was not angry anymore. He was scared. “Oh, you’re girlfriend ok with that?” he asked.  
“She has nothing to do with this,” Elijah said, squeezing her hand.  
Suddenly, the door opened and a woman entered the room. She was pretty and had long curly blonde hair and she was wearing a long and very old green dress. The Original vampires stared at her like she was a ghost. Julie looked up at Elijah and she had never seen him so surprised. They were all speechless.  
“Mother?” Rebekah said and Julie had never been more confused. The woman looked at all her children then at Julie. She gave her a weird look which made her shiver. She stayed close to Elijah as the woman walked towards a terrified Klaus. He was looking down, scared and ashamed.  
“Look at me,” she ordered him and he painfully did. “Do you know why I’m here?” she asked.  
“You’re here to kill me,” he whispered.  
“Niklaus you are my son,” she said. “And I am here to forgive you,” she took his hand and turned to look at her children. “I want us to be a family again.”


	21. The Ball

Julie felt uncomfortable. She had never felt more out of place. This had nothing to do with her. Like Elijah had just said, this was “family business”.   
“I wanted it to be for all of us,” Klaus said with a broken voice. She had never seen the hybrid like this. He was scared, he was weak and he had tears in his eyes. He didn’t have the courage to look up at his brothers. “A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again.”  
“Oh, you’re right,” Elijah said. “None of us will be.” Julie looked away from the hybrid and looked down at her feet. She had agreed to leave with them, to leave him alone and she knew this was his biggest fear. She felt like the most terrible person on the planet. The Original vampires walked away from Klaus and stood next to each other, all looking at him with despise.  
“You’re staying behind,” Finn said.  
“We’re leaving you, Nik,” Rebekah told her brother. “Right after I kill that doppelganger wench. And then you will be alone. Always and forever.”  
Julie looked up at the blonde who had every intention of killing Elena. She wasn’t ok with that. But how could she stop her? It wasn’t the right time to voice her objections anyway.  
“If you run,” Klaus said. “I will hunt all of you down,” he threatened.  
“Then you’ll become everything you hate,” Elijah said. “Our father.”  
“I’m the hybrid!” he shouted which startled Julie and she fisted Elijah’s shirt a little more, not looking up from the ground. A few days ago she would have done anything to have Elijah and Rebekah back, but now she wished she was somewhere else. “I can’t be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you!”  
“You will when we have that coffin,” Elijah told him and Klaus’ anger was replaced by fear. Julie frowned then looked up at him. Killing Klaus was never part of the plan. Elijah wouldn’t look away from his brother. She then turned to look at Klaus, worried.  
“Oh, you’re girlfriend ok with that?”  
“She has nothing to do with this.”  
Suddenly, the door opened and the noise made all of them turn around to see who dared interrupt them. Julie frowned as she saw a pretty woman with blonde long hair and a very old green dress enter the room. All the vampires were taken aback. She looked up at Elijah and she had never seen him so stunned.  
“Mother?” Rebekah breathed out. Julie couldn’t have been more confused. She looked at all of them and they looked like they were seeing a ghost. She turned to look at Klaus and she only saw fear. The Original vampires couldn’t move their eyes from their mother as she walked pass them. She stopped in front of Klaus who didn’t have the courage to look at his own mother.  
“Look at me,” she ordered and he painfully obeyed. “Do you know why I’m here?” she asked.  
“You’re here to kill me,” he whispered. Julie was scared. This woman was a witch that had created the first vampires. She survived Klaus and after a thousand years she was still alive. She had every reason to be scared of that woman and even more that she was an elemental and Elijah had just told her that witches hated her kind.  
“Niklaus you are my son,” she said. “And I am here to forgive you.” Klaus paused for a second. He couldn’t believe it, he was speechless. All of them were. Julie didn’t understand what was happening. The Original witch took her son’s hand and turned to face her children. “I want us to be a family again.”  
At that moment, Julie wished she could just disappear. This was none of her business. Elijah let go of her and she looked up at him but he couldn’t look away from his mother. She moved her hands on her arms, rubbing them like someone would do when they were cold but she wasn’t cold, it was more like she tried to erase herself from the room. The witch’s eyes fell on her and she shivered as their gaze met.  
“I’m gonna…” she whispered. “Leave.” She gave a look to Rebekah as she was about to walk away but Elijah stopped her.  
“Mother, this is Julie,” he said and she looked up at him. She quickly turned around to face the witch. She couldn’t tell what she was thinking.  
“It’s nice to meet you…uh…”  
“Esther,” she said. “Call me Esther. It is nice to meet you as well,” she nodded. “Could you give me and my children a moment alone?” she asked.  
“Of course,” she nodded energetically, she couldn’t wait to leave the room. “Absolutely. I’m so sorry,” she awkwardly apologized. She looked up at Elijah who seemed amused and then turned to look at Rebekah before she walked out of the room without turning back.  
She got back to her room and sat on her bed trying to make sense of what had just happened. They were supposed to leave, obviously this wasn’t happening anymore. Esther, Elijah’s mother, was back from the dead and what was going to happen next was a total mystery. Julie sighed. If they weren’t going anywhere, it meant she had to unpack, again.  
When the door opened an hour later she expected to see Elijah but she met with Rebekah instead.  
“I need clothes,” she said. “I have to get out of this dress,” she sighed. Julie chuckled.   
“Nice to see you again, Rebekah,” she smiled and the blonde smiled back.  
“Glad to see that your survived my brother,” she said.  
“You didn’t survive Elena,” Julie said. “Are you going after her?”   
Rebekah grinned. “You know me.” Julie sighed.  
“Are you going to kill her?” she asked, worried.  
“She stabbed me in the back, it hurt.”  
Julie looked down, she had nothing more to say. “I don’t think any of my clothes would actually fit you. You’re taller than I am,” she told her as she opened her dresser.  
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said.  
Julie gave her what she needed and Rebekah didn’t stick around too long, she left the house to look for the Gilbert girl and only one of her brothers could stop her. When Elijah came in the room he looked lost in his thoughts.  
“Are you okay?” she asked. He looked up and nodded. “Rebekah left,” she told him and he wondered why it was relevant. “To go after Elena.” Elijah closed his eyes, disappointed and sighed.  
“I should go,” he said.  
“Yeah…”   
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry about tonight. I know it wasn’t easy.”  
“It was…unexpected,” she said, trying to be funny and he laughed. “I’m just happy for you.”  
“My mother wants to stay here,” he told her.   
Julie nodded. “I doubt the Salvatores will be happy with that.”  
“We’ll deal with the Salvatores tomorrow, now I have to deal with my sister,” he sighed.  
“Go,” she said before she tiptoed to kiss his cheek.  
“Don’t leave the room,” he told her, he didn’t mean to scare her and he was pretty sure his brothers wouldn’t hurt her but he didn’t want to imagine her alone with them. Julie frowned but nodded.   
“I’m exhausted,” she told him. “I’ll stay here.” He smiled and kissed her forehead.  
“I’ll be back soon,” he said before he left the room.  
Julie woke up in Elijah’s arms. She didn’t fall asleep right away but she didn’t remember Elijah coming back the night before. She tried not to move so she wouldn’t wake him. She had been waiting months to have him back and she wanted to enjoy this moment as long as possible. The clock on the wall indicated it was 8:30. She listened to his breathing as she moved her finger on his chest, tracing invisible random patterns. He woke up half an hour after she did. She felt him move and looked up as he took her hand in his.  
“Hey,” she smiled.  
“Good morning,” he whispered.  
“How did it go last night?”  
“Rebekah wasn’t happy I stopped her,” he sighed. “But I had a talk with Ms. Gilbert.”  
“What about?”  
“My mother. I informed her my family was settling here.”  
“This is so weird…” she said and he chuckled.  
“That is the word.” She smiled and propped herself on her elbow.  
“What’s going to happen now?”  
“I don’t know,” he said, placing his left arm behind his head and stroking her hair with his other hand. “What do you want to do now?” he asked. She thought about it for a moment, it was a good question.  
“I want to practice my magic,” she told him. “I want you to tell me more about who I am.” He smiled and nodded.  
“I will.”   
He rolled over so she was lying on his back and he was on top of her. She laughed and placed her hands on each side of his face.  
“What are you doing?”  
He grinned and leaned to kiss her. This wasn’t a simple kiss. The way he moved his lips on hers and his hands down her body surprised her. She had never been touched this way before and he had never kissed her like that. She had no idea what to do. She slid her fingers in his hair and kissed him back. His hands moved on her waist as he kissed her cheek and her jawline then her neck. She gasped at the unfamiliar contact of his fingers on her skin as he slid his hands under her shirt. His lips wandered down her throat and found her cleavage where no lips had been before. She had lost the capacity to think, at this moment, all she could feel was his hot breath on her skin and his fingers on her stomach. She moved her hands down the back of his neck as he kissed his way back up her throat and she gasped again when she felt his sharp teeth graze her skin. She might have heard him growled as she fisted her hand in his hair. He slightly moved away and looked for her gaze. He met her big innocent eyes and saw how red her cheeks were. He grinned and she would have blushed even more if it had been humanly possible. She moved her hands to his shoulders and gave him a shy smile.  
“What?” she nervously laughed at his silence and he shook his head and gave her a quick kiss before he sat up. She watched him, still out of breath, get up and run a hand through his hair.  
“Come on,” he said. “We’re late.”  
“Late?” she frowned. “For what?” she asked, getting up.  
“My mother decided to throw a ball to introduce us to the town,” he told her. “Tonight.”  
“Tonight?” she echoed. “She works fast,” she chuckled. In the next second, he was in front of her which startled her.  
“Sorry,” he smiled. “Would you accompany me tonight?” he asked and she smiled and nodded.  
“Of course.” He smiled back, kissed her forehead and started to walk away but she took his hand and stopped him. He wondered why she looked so guilty. “Is…” she cleared her throat. “Is Klaus gonna be mad?” she whispered. Elijah sighed. Of course she was going to worry about hurting his feelings. He cupped her cheek in his right hand and smiled.  
“Don’t worry about my brother,” he said. “Don’t worry about anything.” She tilted her head and frowned, wondering what he meant. She took his hand and tiptoed to kiss him.  
“I’m gonna get ready.”  
“I will be in the kitchen,” he nodded.  
She found Elijah with his brother Kol sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.  
“Hello, love,” he grinned when she entered the room.  
“Hello,” she smiled. “Where’s Rebekah?” she asked.  
“Shopping for dresses?” he mocked.  
“She’s actually waiting for you,” Elijah told her. “Jennifer made breakfast,” he said, showing her the waffles on the table.  
“Who’s Jennifer?” she asked, walking towards him.  
“One of Klaus’ girls,” he sighed. “You know nobody does anything around here.”  
“I’m just started to get that,” she said, sitting down next to him. She took a strawberry off the plate and brought it to her mouth.  
“So how did you two meet, exactly?” Kol asked with a grin. “Humans usually end up as our dessert not as our girlfriends.”  
Elijah frowned and laughed.  
“It wasn’t funny,” she said.  
“I know, I’m sorry,” he laughed.  
“You cut someone’s head off in front of me. I passed out! It wasn’t funny!”  
“I know, I’m sorry,” he repeated, turning his head to see her unamused face.  
“Seems like an interesting story,” Kol chuckled.  
“Julie was kidnapped with Ms. Gilbert by two vampires that had helped Katerina escape.”  
“Why did they take you too?” he asked.  
“I was a complication,” she told him.  
“But how did you two become a thing?” he asked. “Because I would’ve killed you before learning your name,” he laughed.  
“Kol,” Elijah said with a threatening tone. His brother laughed and leaned back in his chair.  
“I’m just kidding, brother. I won’t hurt your girlfriend. I’m not Klaus.”  
“So…” Julie cleared her throat. “How come your siblings have an English accent and you don’t?”  
Elijah laughed. She changed the subject like his brother’s threat was nothing. Maybe she was used to being threatened by vampires. Or perhaps she knew Elijah would protect her no matter what.  
Rebekah entered the kitchen and interrupted them.  
“I need a date,” she sighed, sitting between his brothers and looking at Julie.  
“And you’re asking me?” Julie joked which made Elijah and Kol laugh.  
“You’re funny,” Rebekah said, unamused. “Any ideas?”  
“I don’t know,” Julie shrugged. “I don’t have friends in this town, remember?”  
“What about Matt?” she asked. “I never got to go to the homecoming. Do you think he’ll still want to go out with me?” Her question made Kol laugh. “What are you laughing at?”  
“You, sister. Why does it matter who you take to the ball? Pick a human good looking enough and eat him before midnight.”  
Elijah sighed. “Mother specifically instructed us not to hurt anyone,” he reminded his brother.  
“Mother doesn’t have to know.”  
“You speak like an idiot, Kol,” his sister told him. “What about you, Julie? I’m sure you’re going to need a dress. Come with me.”  
“I’m eating breakfast,” Julie told her as she brought a piece of waffle to her mouth.  
“Don’t you need a dress?”  
“I do,” she nodded. “But I’m eating waffles,” she said which amused Elijah.  
“You know I don’t like to wait,” Rebekah told her.  
“You do know I need to eat, right?” she asked. Rebekah growled, sighed and rolled her eyes.  
“Hurry up,” she told her before she left the room.  
“My sister likes you,” Elijah told her.  
“I like her too,” she said, eating the waffle.  
After breakfast, Julie met with Rebekah in one of the huge house’s living rooms. There were plenty of suits for her brothers to choose from and many dresses waiting for her. Rebekah insisted they got their nails done before anything else so while Finn, Elijah and Kol were trying on suits, Julie and Rebekah were sitting on the couch, getting a manicure.   
“Rebekah,” Kol said as he was looking at himself in the mirror. “Tell me how handsome I am.”  
“Oh, Kol you know I can’t be compelled,” she answered which amused her brothers.  
Klaus burst in the room, opening violently the door which banged on the wall.  
“You went after Elena,” he growled at his sister. “What is wrong with you?”  
“Here we go,” she smiled and sighed.  
“Do you want another dagger in your heart?” he threatened which made Julie roll her eyes and sigh.  
“Again with the dagger threat?” Kol asked. “Don’t you have any other tricks?”  
“Oh, go back to staring at yourself,” Klaus said.  
“And who are you? My father?”  
“No, Kol, but you’re in my house.”  
“Then perhaps we should go outside,” Kol said.  
Julie watched the two brothers fight worried they might actually hurt each other. The two of them were interrupted by their mother who entered the room.  
“Enough!” she said, loud. “Niklaus, come,” she told her son but she was looking at Julie. When she stepped out a few seconds later, Julie noticed she had stopped breathing and she took a deep breath and brought a hand to her forehead as a sudden headache blurred her vision and made her feel like she was going to pass out.  
“You okay?” Rebekah asked. Julie cried out as the headache got stronger before it disappeared.  
“What’s wrong?” Elijah asked, worried, squatting down in front of her.  
“Headache,” she said, confused and a little scared. “It’s gone…”  
“Does that happen often to you?” Rebekah asked.  
“Never,” Julie shook her head. “I don’t know what happened. Maybe I haven’t eaten enough,” she told the blonde who rolled her eyes and shrugged. Elijah still looked worried and she gave him a small smile. “I’m fine,” she assured him.  
“Maybe you should rest,” Elijah told Julie. She didn’t hear him right away, confused and lost in her thoughts. She knew his mother had something to do with what had just happened, but had she done it on purpose? She nodded and left the room without saying anything.  
“Humans are so fragile,” Kol chuckled.  
“Julie is not human,” Elijah told his brother but it’s all he was going to say.  
“What do you mean Julie’s not human?” Rebekah asked.  
Julie wandered in the house, distracted. Witches and elementals never were the best of friends. She felt Esther didn’t like her, even though they had only spoken once the night before. She lied down on the bed and tried to relax. Maybe she was just paranoid and Esther had nothing against her but she just couldn’t ignore the feeling. A few minutes had passed and she didn’t move as she heard the door open. Elijah walked towards the bed and put a hand on her shoulder as she was lying on her side and he faced her back.  
“Are you feeling better?” he asked. She moved so she was lying on her back and gave him a small smile.  
“I’m fine,” she told him. “It was just a headache.”  
“It seemed painful,” he said and she saw he was worried.  
“Elijah, I don’t know what happened,” she told him. “I’m sure it’s fine. It never happened to me before.”  
“But if it happens again…”  
“I’ll tell you,” she said. “I’ll be fine,” she smiled. He sighed and nodded.  
“My sister is looking for you.”  
“Why?”  
“She wants you to come with her to the Grill.”  
“Why?” she repeated.  
“I don’t know,” Elijah sighed. “But she’s waiting for you.”  
“I’ll go then,” she sighed. She kissed his cheek before she left the room. He watched her walk away, still worried. Julie found Rebekah waiting for her in the hall, she looked nervous.  
“What is this I hear you’re not human?” she asked. Julie frowned, confused.  
“What?”  
“My brother said you weren’t human. Did you figure out why you couldn’t be compelled while I was daggered?” she asked.  
“Oh, that,” Julie sighed. “Yeah…” she nodded, walking pass her.  
“So? What are you?” she asked.  
“I’m…an elemental,” she said, opening the front door. Rebekah followed her out of the house, thinking she had misheard her.  
“What? That’s impossible!” she said. “Elementals are extinct!”  
“What do you want me to say?” she asked.  
“I can’t believe this…So…What element can you control?” she asked.  
Julie kept answering the blonde’s questions as she drove to the Mystic Grill. She left out the part where she was friend with Katherine and that’s how she had found out she wasn’t human. When the two friends entered the restaurant Rebekah immediately spotted Elena and Caroline, talking at a table. The blonde walked towards them and Julie followed her, knowing she wasn’t stupid enough to try and hurt Elena in front of everyone.  
“Careful Caroline,” she interrupted the two friends. “It’s all well and goof till she stabs you in the back.”  
“What are you doing here?” the doppelganger asked. “I know your mom’s rules, no hurting the locals,” she said, moving her eyes from the blonde to Julie then back to the vampire.  
“Get over yourself, Elena,” she said. “It’s not all about you.” Rebekah walked away and found Matt and the girls watched her invite him to the ball.  
“Oh my God,” Caroline said. “She’s inviting him to the ball. Why is she inviting him?”  
“Maybe because the last time she was supposed to go to a dance with him you stabbed her in the back and she missed it.”  
“I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to interfere.”  
“I don’t care why you did it,” Julie shrugged.  
“You know,” Caroline started to say. “They’re dangerous. They’ll get you killed.”  
Julie looked at the blonde then at Elena. “Why do you care?” The two friends frowned, taken aback by her question. “You think you’re better than them?” she asked but they didn’t get the time to respond as Rebekah interrupted them.  
“Let’s go. We still have to find you a dress,” she said. Julie nodded and walked away, ignoring Caroline and Elena.  
“How did it go?” she asked.  
“He said yes.”  
“You look happy,” she chuckled.  
“Is it a crime?”  
“No,” Julie said. “Unless you’re planning on killing him.”  
“You know my mother’s rules,” she sighed.  
“You sound disappointed. Matt is actually a good guy,” she said and Rebekah shrugged.  
“I can’t ruin mother’s party,” she said before she got in the car.  
Back in the house, Rebekah kept showing ridiculous dresses to Julie who refused them all. Finally, she found a silver ball gown that fit her. At first, she refused to wear any of the jewelries that Rebekah showed her. They were way too beautiful and expansive and she didn’t feel comfortable with them. But she eventually agreed on a discreet silver necklace with a purple diamond heart shaped pendant.  
“You’re beautiful.”  
Julie was startled as she was looking at herself in the mirror, making sure her dress was perfect.  
“Elijah,” she breathed out. She turned and saw him in the doorway.  
“Sorry,” he smiled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”  
“It’s okay,” she said, looking down at her dress. He took a few steps and held his hand out. She smiled and put her hand in his.  
“You look beautiful,” he repeated. She smiled, blushed and looked down.  
“Thank you.”  
“Come on, our guests have arrived.”  
She was feeling nervous to be among all these strangers. She looked around and saw the Salvatores were there with Elena. She was anxious to be in the same room as Elijah’s mother but Esther wasn’t among the guests. Elijah took a glass of champagne and handed it to her.  
“Thanks,” she smiled. “You know how to throw a party,” she joked and he laughed.  
“It’s a special occasion,” he said. “Come, it’s time to introduce our family to the town.”  
“Your family to the town,” she corrected him. “I’m gonna stay here.” He looked down at her and sighed.  
“Come with me,” he insisted. Rebekah, Kol and Klaus were already on the stairs and she knew what he was going to do.  
“I’m not going anywhere. Go,” she smiled. She didn’t want last night’s episode to repeat itself, her place wasn’t up there with them. They were a family and they had waited a thousand years to be together again. He sighed and kissed the top of her head before he joined his siblings.  
“If anyone could gather, please,” he said and Finn joined them on the stairs.  
Julie didn’t see Esther right away but she felt a strange sensation which made her shiver and she knew she was there. She looked up and saw the witch next to Kol on the stairs and she was looking at her. Julie looked away, uncomfortable but the feeling didn’t leave her.  
“Welcome. Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it’s tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight’s pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourself a partner, please join us in the ballroom,” Elijah told the guests before he walked down the stairs.  
“See, you didn’t need me up there,” she said and he chuckled.  
“Would you join me for this dance?” he asked and she smiled and nodded.  
Klaus had convinced Caroline to dance with him and Julie couldn’t help but think how hypocrite the blonde was. Elijah was a good dancer, but that didn’t surprise her.  
“I’m glad you liked the necklace,” he said and she frowned.  
“What?”  
“Didn’t Rebekah tell you?” he asked. “I asked her to give it to you.”  
“You chose this for me?” she asked and he nodded.  
“My sister said you didn’t like what she showed you. I thought you might like this one.”  
“I do,” she smiled. “I love it.” He smiled and moved his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him as they danced. “Thank you.”  
She found herself in Kol’s arms during the waltz. “Don’t you look ravishing, love,” he grinned and made her blush.  
“Thank you,” she shyly responded, looking down.  
“You must be pretty tough for having survived my brother all this time.”  
“Elijah never hurt me,” she told him, offended.  
“I’m not talking about him,” he chuckled. “Klaus.” Julie sighed. “But I guess he held onto his little witch.”  
“What?” she frowned.  
“Apparently you’re not human. So what are you?” he asked.  
Julie sighed. “I’m not a witch.”  
“If you were a werewolf you’d be a hybrid by now. And even I can compel vampires,” he said. “So what are you?”  
“Seems to be the questions of the year,” she sighed. Obviously Elijah trusted his siblings enough to tell them her secret. “I’m an elemental.”  
“Really?” he sounded surprised. “So your family has survived the war,” he said, interested.  
“Apparently…”  
“So what is your element?” he asked.  
“I can control the four elements and ice…And maybe more…I just found out what I was,” she told him.  
“Interesting…” he mused. “Well, I practiced magic myself when I was human. If you ever need anyone to teach some tricks, I know some pretty great ones.”  
“Really?” she asked, interested and all of a sudden excited.  
“Of course. I used to be warlock,” he nodded.  
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’d like that.”  
The dance brought her back to Elijah who seemed amused.  
“What’s so funny?” she asked.  
“What my brother misses the most as a vampire is magic,” he said. “He will be a better teacher than I.”  
“Eavesdropping,” she said. “Rude,” she mocked and he laughed.  
After the dance, Elijah saw Elena climb the stairs and asked Julie to wait for him in the ball room.  
“Has my brother abandoned you?” Klaus asked, appearing behind her.  
“Where’s Caroline?” she asked, ignoring the question.  
“She’d rather stay away from me.”  
“Since when do you do what people want?”  
“You make a good point, Ms. Johnson,” he smiled before he walked away.  
She saw Kol and Rebekah together and wondered what they might be plotting. The blonde walked away from his brother, found Matt and went outside followed by Kol. Julie found it weird and it worried her and she was about to follow them but she saw Elijah walking towards her and she wondered where he had gone.  
“Everything okay?” she asked.  
“My mother requested to talk to Elena,” he told her. “I just wanted to make sure everything was ok.”  
Julie frowned. “You know you can’t trust anything she tells you, right?” she said and he sighed.  
“We’ll see,” he told her. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.  
“Yes,” she said, putting her hands on the back of his neck. “I’ve never been to a ball before,” she told him. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. “So…Are you suspecting your mother to…what?” she asked. He sighed.  
“Her attitude rises questions I never thought I’d ask.”   
“Elena wants Klaus dead,” she said. “If your mother…Wanted to hurt you and your siblings…She will help her, not tell you.”  
“I know,” he sighed. “Maybe I’m just trying to see a problem where there isn’t one.” She looked away and he saw she was uncomfortable. “What’s wrong? Do you know something?”  
“No,” she shook her head and gave him a small smile. “I just…know the feeling,” she said and he wondered what she meant. “I don’t think your mother likes me too much.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I just…Have this feeling,” she told him. “It’s silly.”  
“It’ll be fine,” he told her. He slowly leaned to kiss her and she closed her eyes waiting for their lips to meet. Even though she was wearing heels, she had to tiptoe to kiss him back.  
Elena Gilbert climbed down the stairs with a strange feeling of guilt. She looked around to look for Elijah as she was anxious to face him. What was she going to tell him? Will he believe her lies? Was she doing the right thing?  
“So how was my mother?”  
Elijah appeared next to her with Julie. She had forgotten about Julie, how she didn’t like her now and how she will hate her once her boyfriend is dead.  
“Intense,” she said.   
“And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private?” he asked, taking a glass of pink champagne and handing one to Julie who smiled and took it. Elena didn’t answer right away, she looked distracted. “Elena? Should I be concerned about my mother’s intentions?”  
“She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed.”  
“So, it’s true, then? She’s forgiven Klaus?” Elijah asked, hoping for the best.  
“It’s true,” she said. Elijah looked at her, suspicious. He just couldn’t believe it.  
Esther was on top of the stair trying to get her guests’ attention. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” she said. “Waiters are coming round with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I’d like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!”  
“Cheers,” Elijah smiled to Elena then to Julie. Julie brought the glass to her lips but didn’t drink it. She felt something was wrong with the drink. Maybe it was the smell, maybe it was something else. Elijah didn’t seem to notice and drank the pink alcohol. Elena politely nodded before she walked away.  
“Do you believe her?” Julie asked.  
“I don’t know,” he sighed and she looked up.  
“What are you going to do now?”  
“Find out what my mother is planning,” he said. “If…she is planning something.” He seemed sad and she was feeling bad for him.   
“I’m sorry.”  
“For what?”  
“It’s just…It can’t be easy…Thinking your mother is trying to…hurt you.”  
He gave her a sad smile. “I’ll be fine,” he said. But he took a step back and turned his head like he had just heard something.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked.  
“Kol,” he said, before he took her hand and dragged her outside.  
“Damon! Are you crazy?” Stefan asked his brother as Elijah and Julie just appeared behind Klaus and Finn. Kol was lying unconscious on the ground.  
“Maybe a little,” Damon shrugged. Elena rushed outside just to see Damon walk away. “Far be it from me to cause a problem.”  
“I…I’m sorry,” Elena apologized for Damon’s action before she left followed by Stefan.  
“I’ll deal with Kol,” Klaus sighed.  
“Come on,” Elijah told Julie. “It’s late.”  
He brought her back to their room without sharing a word.  
“I need to speak to my mother,” he said. “I will be right back.” She nodded and he kissed her forehead before he left. She sighed and sat on the bed. How did this become her life? It changed in a heartbeat. It used to be calmer but also lonelier. Before she met him she had no friends, no parents. She got lost in her thoughts and when Elijah came back she was still sitting on the bed.  
“How did it go?” she asked, standing up.  
“I had to reprimand my siblings,” he sighed, tired.  
“She wasn’t happy,” she guessed. “Understandable…” she said. “I’m gonna…get out of that dress,” she told him and he nodded.  
She entered the bathroom and removed her makeup and the jewelry but she kept the necklace on. She tried to get out of her dress but she couldn’t do it herself. Elijah had taken his jacket off and he had started unbuttoning his shirt when Julie stepped back in the room.  
“Hey,” she gave him a shy smile. “Could you…help me?” she asked, pointing at her dress. He smiled and nodded. He opened the dress and she held it so it wouldn’t fall. She waited for him to walk away but he didn’t move. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder and started placing kisses in her neck. She held on tight to her dress, a little nervous. She felt his hands move on her naked back and inside the dress. His cold fingers wandered on her stomach as he kissed her cheek, making her turn her head. He captured her lips in a sweet kiss and the way he slowly moved her fingers on her skin made her relax. He moved his hands up to where she was holding the gown and put his hands on hers before he broke the kiss and made her turn around. He leaned to kiss her once more before he intertwined his fingers with hers and the dress fell on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the may mistakes I made in this one


	22. The Lie

The light of the morning was filtering through the thick curtains of Elijah’s bedroom. The Original vampire should be happy, yet he woke up early, worried about his mother’s intentions. He was lost in his thoughts, his fingers were moving on Julie’s bare shoulder and he could feel her breath on his chest. Sometimes, she would move her hand on his chest up to his shoulder and he would look down at her and smile and tuck her hair behind her ear. But a few minutes later he would be thinking back to his troubles and forget everything else. He could feel her cold skin on his so he picked up his white shirt from the floor and tried not to wake her up as he put it on her. He brought the covers up so she wouldn’t be so cold.  
Suddenly, he got taken away from the room, as he listened to his mother and brother leave the house. This surprised him and worried him even more. Where were they going? What were they plotting? He could hear Klaus and Kol were in the living room, unsuspicious.  
Julie woke up slowly and rubbed her eyes before she noticed that Elijah was in his underwear and that she was wearing his shirt, and only his shirt. She looked up and quickly looked down when she met his gaze. She blushed, both embarrassed and nervous.  
“Good morning.”  
She could hear Elijah grin which made her blush harder.  
“Hey,” she shyly responded.  
He moved so he was on top of her and she grabbed the edge of the shirt and pulled it down.  
“How are you feeling?” he asked.  
“I’m great,” she smiled, putting her hands on his shoulders, finally looking up. “How did you sleep?”  
He smiled, he didn’t want to lie to her, and leaned to kiss her. She kissed him back, sliding her fingers in his hair but he quickly moved away.  
“Come on,” he said. “We have work to do.”  
She sighed and nodded. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with him, she knew they had to make sure that Elena hadn’t lied. She put her feet on the cold floor and he put his hands on her waist and kissed her neck. She giggled when he lifted her up and started kissing her throat.  
“Elijah,” she laughed as he scooped her up into his arms. He walked to the bathroom and sat her on the countertop and immediately put his lips on hers. She kissed him back and wrapped her legs around his waist. She moved her hands up his chest to his face and then slid her fingers in his hair. He broke the kiss, breathed and smiled.  
“I’ll let you clean up,” he said and he was about to walk away but she didn’t let him. She crashed her lips against his and slid her tongue into his mouth and he was surprised at first to feel her legs tighten around his waist. His hands travelled down her body and slid under the large shirt. She moved her right hand down his chest and Elijah stopped her when her fingers reached his boxers. “Not now,” he whispered. He tried to move away and chuckled when she didn’t let him. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his neck. “Later,” he whispered before he placed a kiss in her hair. “I’ll use the other bathroom,” he told her.  
She sighed, let him go and watched him walk away. “Mean,” she mumbled and she heard him laugh and she laughed too.  
She tried not to stay too long in the shower. She wrapped a towel around her and pulled her wet hair in a bun. When she stepped in the bedroom, it was empty. She got dressed and went to the kitchen which was empty. She took an apple from the bowl on the counter and started to look for Elijah. She entered a living room where Klaus was drawing in silence and Kol was battling with his new iPhone.  
“Hey.”  
Klaus looked up and smiled when he saw her walk in the room. “Hello, love.”  
“Hey Nik,” she smiled at the hybrid before she looked back at Kol. “You’re gonna break it,” she told him.  
“Good. I don’t understand what this is for anyway,” he sighed.  
Julie chuckled, sat next to him and took his phone from him. “It’s turned off,” she said.  
“I don’t know what that means,” he told her and she rolled her eyes. “Well, well, well. There’s our girl,” he said next, which confused Julie but when she turned around she saw Rebekah walk in the room, her shoes in her hands, still wearing last night’s dress. He got up and placed himself in front of his sister, stopping her.  
“Get out of my way, Kol,” she ordered him.  
“Out all night. What a scandal,” he mocked. “I trust you did better than that commoner. Matt, was it?”   
Julie looked up, suddenly interested.  
“If you don’t shut your mouth the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth,” she threatened which made both Julie and Klaus laugh.  
“Don’t start, Nik.”  
“I didn’t say anything,” he told his sister.  
“I’m bored,” Kol sighed, letting himself fall on the couch, almost falling on Julie. “Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she’s having fun. I need entertainment,” he said, looking down at Julie, his face dangerously close from hers.  
“What are you looking at me for?” she arched an eyebrow. “I can only help you with new technologies,” she joked.  
“No, thank you,” he sighed. “Brother?” he said, looking back at Klaus.  
“What are you waiting for? Go on. Have at it.”  
“It’s no fun to go alone,” he complained. “Join me, Nik. It’s the least you could do after sticking a dagger in my heart.”  
Julie looked up at Klaus to see if it was actually working.  
“Ok. Why not?” he sighed which made Julie laugh. “Something I said, love?” Klaus asked.  
“Your family’s weird,” she said, handing Kol’s phone back to him.  
“I don’t want that,” he told her.  
“You’ll need it,” she said and he sighed and took it and put it in his jeans’ pocket.  
“I didn’t have nearly enough to drink last night, what with you trying to murder Rebekah’s date.”  
“Yes, please go,” Rebekah told them as they were leaving the room. “This house has enough men rolling around in it.”  
“Just like you, Bekah,” Kol said.  
“Good riddance both of you,” she shouted as she threw one of her shoe at her brother who quickly stepped out of the room.  
Julie laughed, leaning back in the couch.  
“Rebekah.”  
Julie looked up as she heard Elijah’s voice coming from the other room. He seemed distracted as he walked into the room.  
“Not you too Elijah,” Rebekah sighed.  
“I’m worried about mother,” he told her. “Have you not noticed her strange behavior?” he asked.  
“She’s been dead for a thousand years. What’s strange for her?”  
“Burned sage,” he showed her what he had found and she took it from him. “She was doing a privacy spell.”  
“You know she fancies such things,” Rebekah told him. “Why don’t you ask Finn? He’s been doting on her.”  
“I don’t trust Finn,” he merely told her. “He hates what we are. He always has.”  
“That’s not true,” she told him. “And as for mother she returned for one reason. To make her family whole. She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?”  
Julie watched the blonde with sad eyes. It was impossible for her to even think about her mother lying about her true intentions. Her mother loved her. She would never do anything to hurt them. Would she? The blonde sighed and left the room, leaving Elijah with Julie.  
“So what are you going to do now?”  
“I think we need to pay a visit to Miss Gilbert.”  
“If she lied last night, she’s not going to tell you the truth now.”  
“She will,” he said. “She won’t have a choice.”  
Julie frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”  
“I will protect my family, Julie,” he told her. “Even if those who try to hurt us are a part of it.”  
“You think your mother is trying to hurt you?”  
“I don’t know,” he said. She could see this wasn’t easy for him. This situation wouldn’t have been easy for anyone. She took a few steps and took his hands in hers.  
“Let’s go then,” she said.  
Elijah drove to Elena’s in silence. This was going to be a long day. Julie hoped for the best but she knew nothing was ever easy with the Mikaelson family.  
When Elena opened the door she was surprised to see Julie but she looked nervous to see Elijah standing on her porch.  
“Elijah, Julie,” she frowned then smiled.  
“I don’t mean to intrude,” Elijah said. “I was hoping you might accompany us. I want to show you something.”  
Julie tried to keep a neutral attitude even though deep down she was angry. If Elena lied last night and put Elijah and his siblings in danger she was going to be sorry about it. Elena nodded, obviously, she couldn’t say no. Elijah drive them into the woods and even Julie had no idea what he was going to do.  
“Forgot how much I missed this land,” he said as he got out of the car.  
“I can’t even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago,” Elena said.  
“You know, your school was built over an Indian village,” he told her. “Where I saw my first werewolf.” Julie looked up at him as he took her hand and started to walk away from the car, followed by Elena. Julie was captivated every time he would speak about his past. She was dying to know more about him. To know everything. And every day, she learned something new and she felt like her life wasn’t going to be enough to get to know all of him. “The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that was a field where wild horses used to graze,” he seemed amused by his words. He clearly missed that time, where he lived here as a human with his family.  
“That’s incredible,” Elena mused.  
“Mmh,” Elijah nodded. “Come.”  
He took them a little deeper in the woods and he stopped near a huge rock and Julie looked up at him to see him smile. He let go of her hand and walked towards the rock and rested his hand on it.  
“Do you know this place too?” Elena asked.  
“I do,” he sighed. “Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy.” Julie tried to imagine him younger but it was impossible for her to picture her thousand years old vampire as a kid. “It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it was nature’s way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance…”  
“Elijah, I should probably go home,” Elena tried to leave.  
“You’re not going anywhere,” Julie told her which made the doppelganger frown. She saw Julie was angry even though she had no idea why.  
“I admire you, Elena,” Elijah said. “Just like Julie, you remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It’s not in your nature to be deceitful, and yet, when I asked you about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face.”  
Elijah could hear Elena’s heart beat faster. Julie carefully watched Elena’s face and saw her getting more and more nervous and scared.  
“That’s not true,” she lied. “I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start…”  
I can hear your heartbeat,” he stopped her. “It jumps when you’re being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball. You are lying to me now.” He took a few steps towards her and what surprised Julie is that she didn’t even step back. “Tell me the truth.”  
“I never wanted this to happen,” she whispered.  
“What, Elena?” Elijah asked, starting to get impatient.  
“We were told that whatever was gonna be in that coffin was gonna kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother, I…” she took a deep breath. “We didn’t know what to think.”  
“Since her return, she said she only wants this family whole again,” Elijah said.  
“When she asked to see me, I…I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus.” Julie sighed, angry. But she had to stay calm, she was surrounded by trees and it wasn’t the moment to start a fire. “It’s not just Klaus she wants to kill,” he told her. Julie’s heart jumped in her chest.  
“She wants to kill us all, doesn’t she?” Elijah asked even though he already knew the answer. Julie saw his disappointment and his pain on his face. “She wants to undo the evil she created.”  
“Don’t say that,” Julie frowned.  
“I’m so sorry, Elijah,” Elena whispered. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”  
A tree instantly took fire at her words but it disappeared as fast as it started. “Are you serious?” Julie asked. “When will you stop lying?”  
“You know, one thing I’ve learned in my time on this earth…” he sighed. “Be careful what you wish for.”  
Julie frowned, as did Elena, confused. Elijah stomped his foot so hard it opened a hole in the ground in which he jumped in, taking Elena with him. Julie took a step back and watched him disappear. A few minutes later he was back up in the forest with her and he wasn’t happy.  
“Wh…What did you do?” Julie asked.  
“Elena will be stuck here for the day,” he said, taking his phone out of his jacket pocket.  
“Who are you calling?”  
“Rebekah. Miss Gilbert needs a babysitter. Come.”  
Julie followed him back to the car. He called his sister and told her about what he knew. He asked her to come down the cavern and watched Elena, promising her that she could kill her if he didn’t get the results he wanted.  
“Where are we going now?” Julie asked as she closed the car door.  
Elijah started the car and said, “Elena just told me my mother required the Benett witches’ help. We’ll need the Salvatores’. They’ll want to help Elena.”  
“You’re gonna ask them to help?”  
“I’m not going to ask,” he growled. She nodded and leaned back in her seat. “My mother is planning on using the full moon to kill us tonight. They need to be stopped before 9.”  
Before 9? Julie was scared. This time, Elijah could die but he could die for good and never come back. She would lose him forever, and then what? What will she do next? Elijah could hear a heartbeat getting faster and he turned to see the worried look on her face. He took her hand which made her look up at him.  
“It’ll be fine,” he told her. She knew he couldn’t possibly know that and that he was just saying it to make her feel better but it didn’t work. She squeezed his hand, tried to smile and nodded. She wished she could do something, anything to help. But then again, she was completely useless. Just a powerless spectator.  
Elijah didn’t knock and enter the Salvatores house like he owned the place.  
“What are you doing here?” Damon asked, making a face, a glass of blood in his hand.  
When she saw the vampire, Julie immediately got closer to Elijah and took his hand.  
“I know my mother is planning on killing my siblings and I,” he said. “And if you’d like Miss Gilbert to stay alive, I suggest you do as I say.”  
“What did you do to her?” Damon growled, taking one step forward.  
Elijah let go of Julie’s hand and pushed Damon against the wall. “Let’s wait for your brother to come home so we can continue this conversation,” he said. Damon growled but nodded, he had no other choice. Julie walked towards the chimney, the fire didn’t make her feel warm anymore, but powerful. Elijah sat in the armchair near the fireplace and Damon just stood there, in the doorway, waiting for his brother to come back.  
“I can’t find her anywhere,” Stefan said as he opened the front door. He met with his brother’s back and was surprised to see Elijah and Julie in his living room.  
“Hello, Stefan,” Elijah said. Julie crossed her arms over her chest and watched the vampire approach his brother.  
“He has Elena,” Damon told him.  
“Actually, she’s with Rebekah,” Elijah told them. “As you can imagine my sister’s just dying to tear her throat out,” he threatened. “So if you want to save Elena’s life, I need you to help me stop my mother.”  
“I’m a little embarrassed to admit but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I’m a little rusty,” Damon said.  
“Yes, unfortunately even when killed my mother doesn’t seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side.”  
“So what are we supposed to do?” Stefan asked.  
“The witches that released my mother,” he said. “She’s drawing her power from their bloodline. That line needs to be broken.”  
“Broken?” Stefan asked.  
“He wants us to kill them,” Damon explained.  
“You know, I’d do it myself, but I absolutely have no idea where they are,” he merely said. “Besides, seeing me, they’d immediately know my intent. They won’t expect to be harmed by the likes of you. In any case,” he said, getting up and holding his hand out to Julie. “You have until 6 minutes after 9 to find them.”  
“Oh, how super specific of you,” Damon said.  
“By 9:07 the moon will be full. My mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena,” he explained. “So we all have our timeline. I suggest you get started.”  
“Really, Julie, you’re gonna let him kill Elena?” Stefan asked. Elijah turned towards her. She frowned and tilted her head and the fire in the chimney went out which surprised the two vampires. But then, it started again, almost like a small explosion which startled them and she grinned as they took a step back.  
“Really, Stefan. And be sure that if Rebekah doesn’t kill her before she dies, I’ll be more than happy to do it myself. So you better find Bonnie and fast.”  
“And you don’t care if she dies too?” Damon asked.  
“She’s trying to kill Elijah,” she told him and she didn’t have to say anything else. She took Elijah’s hand and walk out of the house without turning back.  
“They’ll try to find a way to save Elena without stopping your mother,” she told him, once in the car.  
“I know,” he sighed. “We need to find my brothers.”  
“They’re probably still at the Grill…And drunk…”  
It was already late and there wasn’t a lot of time left to find and stop Esther. Elijah parked the car near the Mystic Grill but as soon as he stepped out of the car, a strong pain in his chest made him gasp and cry out and he fell on the ground, unconscious. Julie rushed towards him and her heart stopped as she saw him lying on the ground, his skin grey as if he had just been daggered.  
“No, no, no,” she started to cry as she kneeled and brought his head on her lap. He couldn’t be dead now, it wasn’t even 9, and she couldn’t believe he was dead. This wasn’t over. She stroke his cheek with her thumb, begging for him to come back. “Please, please,” she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. She cried and sniffed and begged and cried again, thinking this was it, he was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing anyone could do to help her. A few minutes had past when, suddenly, he gasped his way back to life, startling her as he grabbed her arm. “Elijah!” she breathed out. He sat up, quickly and confused. She threw her arms around him, burying her head in his neck. She couldn’t stop crying. Elijah breathed heavily as his skin was painfully taking a pink shade again. He hugged her back and stroke her hair, trying to calm her even though he wasn’t sure of what had just happened. “Please, don’t leave me,” she wailed.  
“I won’t,” he said. “I won’t…” He took a deep breath and gently put his hands on her face so he could look at her.  
“What happened?” she asked as he wiped the tears off her cheeks.  
“Someone must have daggered one of my siblings,” he explained. “Because we’re linked, it affected me too.”  
“Kol!” she thought. Nobody knew where Rebekah was and Klaus wasn’t affected by the dagger.  
“Come on,” he said and helped her get back on her feet.  
They walked towards the restaurant and Elijah heard a fight in the alley near the back door. Klaus was fighting against Damon, Kol was down as was Stefan.  
“You didn’t know I was friends with your mummy? Yeah…We have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do.”  
Klaus was about to attack him but he was interrupted by Elijah. “Leave him!” Klaus slowly turned around to see his big brother and Julie on top of the stairs. “We still need him, Niklaus.” Julie saw Kol was still out and she knew Elijah was still in pain. Her eyes landed on Damon who frowned at her. She took a deep breath, still upset, and Damon cried out as he fell on his knees.  
“What are you doing to me?” he shouted, in pain.  
The truth is, Julie had no idea how she was doing this. She didn’t even know what power she was using, but she was furious and she hated Damon and it actually pleased her to see him on his knees, begging for her to stop.  
“Stop it,” she heard Elijah say. She tilted her head and watched Damon squirm for a few seconds before she sighed and took a step back, letting go. Damon took a deep breath and coughed several times.  
“How are you doing this?” he asked.  
“What did mother do, Elijah?” Klaus asked.  
Elijah walked down the stairs towards a trembling Damon. “You tell me where the witches are, or I’ll have my sister kill Elena right now,” he threatened.  
“You told me we had until 9!”  
“Well, I’m sure Rebekah’d be more than happy to start her work early,” he said.  
Damon looked up at Julie then looked back at Elijah and sighed. “They’re in the old witches’ house,” he told them.  
“It’s time to stop them,” Elijah told him and Damon knew what he meant. “My mother can draw power from dead witches. You’ll need to sever the blood line,” he said.  
“You want me to turn Bonnie into a vampire?” Damon made a face.  
“Bonnie or her mother, as long as my mother can’t use them anymore, it doesn’t really matter.”  
Suddenly, Kol gasped and coughed and growled. When he looked up and saw Damon he got up and he was ready to kill him but Elijah stopped him.  
“We need him, brother.”  
“I’m going to kill you and your brother,” he threatened.  
“Go, now,” Elijah ordered him. “Take your brother with you.”  
“I’m liking that new side of you, love,” Klaus told Julie. “Next time I need to torture someone, I’ll give you a call.”  
Julie frowned and tried to process his words. She had no idea what evil had taken over her and made her wish Damon’s death or even Elena’s. Maybe she always had this fire in her. Or maybe her magic just turned her into someone else. But she knew that just like Elijah would fight for his family, she would fight for him.  
“Maybe we should send her against mother,” Kol said.  
“Stop talking, Kol,” Elijah sighed. “Please, Julie, take my car and go back home.”  
“What?” Julie frowned. “No way.”  
“We will be fine,” he assured her. “I don’t want you anywhere near my mother.”  
“We can take care of ourselves, love,” Klaus nodded. “Go home, we’ll meet you there soon enough.”  
Julie looked at Elijah, unsure but she knew he was right. There was nothing she could do. Klaus and Kol walked up the stairs, leaving their brother with Julie.  
“I’ll be fine,” he repeated, putting the car keys in her hand.  
“Be careful,” she said. She couldn’t ignore the knot that was forming in her stomach. He smiled and nodded. She put a hand on his shoulder and tiptoed to kiss him. She kissed him like it was the last time she would see him and she painfully let go of him.   
“I’ll be fine,” he repeated, trying to convince her and maybe himself.  
She watched him walk away before she got back to the car and drove back to the house.


	23. Selfish

Julie was pacing back and forth in the hall of the Mikaelsons’ house, glancing at the front door every minute, waiting for it to open. Dark thoughts came to her mind; what if Esther was successful tonight? Her mind was trapped in a nightmare, in a world where Elijah no longer existed and she was alone again.  
An hour had passed and still, she was alone. The silence was like torture. She checked her phone but there was no messages. She tried to call Rebekah but she didn’t answer. She wanted to call Elijah, to hear his voice, but she thought, if he was fighting against his mother, it was best not to distract him. It was best just to wait.  
Finally, the door opened. As her heart jumped in her chest, she hoped to see Elijah but she met with the blonde instead.  
“Rebekah,” she breathed out.  
“I let her go,” she sighed, looking down, exhausted and hurt.  
“Have you heard from Elijah?”  
“Mother and Finn are gone,” she nodded. “He’ll be here soon.”  
Julie sighed, relieved, but the knot in her stomach didn’t go away. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine,” she mumbled before she walked away. Julie watched her leave and she couldn’t help the feeling of guilt grow inside her. She wished there was something she could do but she knew there was no way she could make any of the Original vampires feel better.  
When Elijah stepped inside the house Julie saw the disappointment and the pain on his face. He was followed by Klaus and Kol who weren’t any better.  
“Oh, Elijah,” she breathed out before she hugged him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. He hugged her back without a word. She hugged him tight before she moved away.  
“How are you?”  
“I’m fine,” he lied. She took his face in her hands and made him look at her.  
“What happened?”  
He sighed. “Damon turned Bonnie’s mother into a vampire. My mother couldn’t use their magic anymore. They’ve fled.”  
“They’re gone? They won’t stop before you’re dead,” she said.  
“I know,” he sighed. “Niklaus will find a way to unlink us,” he told her. He took her hands and looked down. “Julie…I’m…”  
“What?” she frowned “What’s wrong?”  
“I want to leave this town,” he said. “Do you still want to come with me?”  
“Of course,” she nodded. “Of course.” She hugged him again and placed a kiss in his neck. “I’d go anywhere with you.”  
He smiled and placed a kiss in her hair. “Please, pack up your things.”  
“…We’re leaving now?”  
“Today I’ve threatened an innocent girl to get what I wanted.”  
“Elena killed you twice! She’s far from innocent!”  
“Julie…” he sighed and shook his head. “I’m incredibly selfish,” he said which confused her.  
“What?”  
“I’m not good for you,” he said, looking up. “My mother is right. I’m a monster. I should leave you and never turn back.” Julie’s heart felt like it was being crushed. It was the most painful feeling she had ever felt. She was tearing up, terrified. “But I can’t do that. I’m not strong enough to leave you. And for that, I am selfish. Because you’ll get hurt because of…”  
“Stop it!” Julie shouted, wiping a tear of her cheek. “Stop it…” she sobbed before she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “You can’t leave me,” she cried. “You’re all I have.” Elijah closed his eyes, hugging her back tightly, burying his nose in her hair. She hugged him tight, afraid she would lose him.  
“Are you sure you want to leave Mystic Falls?” he asked.  
“Yes,” she answered. “What is there here for me?”  
Elijah placed a kiss in her hair before he moved away. “Please, pack your things. I will be back in less than an hour.” She nodded and closed her eyes when he leant to kiss her forehead. She watched him walk away and gave him a small smile and waved before he stepped out of the house. She sniffed, wiped the tears off her cheeks and left the hall.


	24. Driving Away

The sun was slowly chasing the night away and the small light of the early morning reminded Elijah he had been driving all night without stopping once. It wasn’t really an issue for him but he knew they needed a break. She needed a couple of human hours.  
Julie had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago and he didn’t want to wake her up. Leaving Mystic Falls was supposed to make their lives easier and drama free and she really needed to rest. Of course, he knew she would be better in a bed but he wanted to get away from his siblings as far as possible. He decided they would stop once she was awake and that they would only find a hotel late tonight. He had no idea where he was driving them to but it didn’t really matter to him. He needed a break from being a monster and as long as Julie was with him, he knew he was going to be fine. And the farer away she was from Klaus, the safest she would be.  
The truth was, the farer away she would be away from him, the safest she would be. But for the first time in a long while, he didn’t want to give up on her. He knew how dangerous it was for her to be loved by him but he wasn’t strong enough to leave her. But he didn’t have the luxury of being weak. He had to protect her and he didn’t care about the things he would have to do to keep her safe and happy.  
Elijah could only thing about what his mother had told him the night before and what Julie said after. He didn’t know which one of them to believe. Was he a monster or not? He had been one. He knew that. But was he today a monster that deserved to die? Would the world be better without him and his siblings in it? Were his mother and brother right?  
He was lost so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Julie waking up. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again, hurt by the small light that went through the windows of the car. Finally, as she brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes, her movements made Elijah react.  
“You’re awake.”  
“Hey,” she said, straightening up and yawning. “What time is it?”  
“Over 6AM,” he told her. “I’ll make a stop soon.”  
“Yes, please,” she sighed and smiled. She leaned back in her seat and slightly tilted her head to look at Elijah who was focused on the road. “You must be exhausted,” she said.  
“I’m fine,” he merely replied.  
“Where are we going?” she asked next.  
“I don’t know,” he said. “Where do you want to go?”  
“I have no idea where we are,” she chuckled.  
“We could stop at an airport,” he said. “Take a plan to anywhere you want.”  
“You dream big,” she laughed. “I don’t have a passport.”  
“I’ll have it done for you.”  
“Compel it done, you mean,” she said, amused. “And where would we go?”  
“Anywhere you want,” he repeated.  
Julie sighed. “I want to go somewhere where I can learn about what I am.”  
“I don’t know where that is, I’m sorry,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t learn about what you are. You have your mother’s journals and your family’s grimoire.”  
“Then I guess it doesn’t matter where we are.”  
Elijah stopped at a diner where they decided to stay for a couple of hours. Julie went to the bathroom and changed clothes and when she came back, pancakes were waiting for her.  
“You are awesome,” she said as she sat down and took the fork.  
“I thought you might be hungry,” he smiled. “I’m sorry you had to sleep in the car, tonight I’ll get us a hotel.”  
“Okay,” she said and put down the fork. “Look at me,” she told him and he frowned but did it anyway. “I want you to promise me something.”  
“Anything,” he nodded.  
“Stop apologizing.”  
“What?”  
“I will not break just because I slept a couple of hours in the car. I’m fine. I’m happy. I don’t care if we’re in Mystic Falls or not. I care that I’m with you and I care that you’re unlinked from your siblings as soon as possible. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”  
Elijah considered her words for a minute before a smile formed on his face and he laughed. “I promise I’ll try not to worry too much.”  
Julie rolled her eyes and sighed. “That’s not what I asked.”  
“It’s the best I can do,” he said, getting up from his booth to sit next to her. She moved closer from the window to give him space and she leaned back in her seat as she watched him lean to kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, and as she felt him move away she brought her hands to the back of his neck and pulled him for a kiss. He smiled against her lips before he kissed her back, moving closer to her, placing his hands on her waist as her own moved down his neck and stopped on his shoulders. She didn’t want to but she moved away to breathe and saw him grin.  
“What are you grinning at?” she asked, amused.  
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve changed,” he told her.  
“Is it bad?”  
“No,” he smiled. “Just don’t change too much.” She smiled back and nodded.  
They drove to an unknown destination but for some reasons the ride made them both feel better. Elijah insisted Julie slept a little bit more but she refused, asking him questions about his past and the many important events he had witnessed. She was fascinated by all he had to say, and she never ran out of questions to ask.  
Finally, just a little before midnight, they arrived in Charlottesville where they found a hotel to rest. Elijah let Julie use the bathroom first and when she got out she got in the huge bed and fell asleep almost instantly.


	25. Good Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very little filler

Julie was still sleeping when Elijah woke up later than usual. It was past 10AM and even though he would have preferred to be on the road by now, he decided to let her sleep. She had had a nightmare in the middle of the night during which she had turned around and moved closer to him and gripped his shirt and still hadn’t let go. He looked down at her and saw her peaceful face. He gently brushed away the hair that was on her face and started caressing her cheek with his knuckle. She moved at the contact, let go of the shirt and rested her hand on his chest.  
“Elijah,” she breathed out, half awake.  
He smiled and looked down at her, watching her slowly wake up. “Good morning.”  
“Hey,” she sighed without opening her eyes. Elijah moved so she was lying on her back and he propped himself on his elbow and leaned to kiss her. She opened her eyes when his lips covered hers just to close them again as she kissed him back. She moaned when he moved away and grimaced when she saw him grin.  
“I’ll order breakfast,” he said before he got out of bed. “Do you want anything special?”  
“Mmh…you,” she grinned and he laughed.  
“I mean to eat.”  
“I know what you mean,” she said, propping herself on her elbow.  
Elijah smiled then chuckled and shook his head, amused, before he went back to the bed. She bit her lower lip as she watched him approach.  
“You’re starting something you’re not going to be able to end,” he whispered in her ear before he placed a kiss on her neck.  
“I don’t want it to end,” she whispered back.


	26. Henry Stinson

Back on the road, Elijah and Julie had decided to drive to New-York. It was a city she had always dreamt of visiting one day. She couldn’t wait to walk the crowded streets hand in hand with Elijah, looking up at the screens and the commercials and wasting her mother’s fortune in the expansive shops of the Big Apple.  
They arrived around 5PM and find the most expansive suite of the most expansive hotel of the city.  
“This is too much,” Julie breathed out when she entered the room.  
“I don’t know how long we’re going to stay here. At least we’ll be comfortable,” he said and kissed the top of her head.  
Their luggage had been brought up to their room but Elijah took care of the bag where Julie kept her mother’s grimoire and journals. Julie looked around the room and spotted a plant in the corner, next to the window. It was in bad shape.  
“Look at that,” she said as she walked toward it. Elijah put the bag down on the table close to the door and watched her place her hands around the plant and as he approached the faded leaves turned greener and the plant grew bigger.  
“You make it look so easy,” he said.  
“Yeah,” she nodded. “It wasn’t hard. I could feel the plant get better,” she told him as she looked up at him. “I could feel it. The power running though me and going to the plant, it’s like…I’ve been doing this my whole life…”  
“The more you practice, the more powerful you will get.”  
“What if I get too powerful?” she asked. “What if I change too much?”  
“I won’t let that happen,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I won’t let you become like me.”  
“Don’t say that,” she shook her head and took his face in her hands. “You are a great man. You’re the best man I know. The honorable Elijah,” she smiled.  
“Power,” he started to say, taking her hands in his, looking down, “changes you. I wish you had known me before. Before I became a vampire…a monster. I used to be a better person. A real good man.”  
“You are a good man. I’ve seen it. I’ve even seen it in your siblings,” she said and he laughed. “It’s true,” she laughed. “Deep down, who you used to be is still in there. Monsters don’t have a family. Monsters don’t care. Monsters don’t…”  
“What?”  
“Nothing,” she sighed. “Come on, we’re in New-York! I wanna visit!”  
“I know a place you might be interested in seeing.”  
“What kind of place?”  
“You’ll see,” he smiled.  
“I just need to take a shower first.”  
“Of course. Take your time.”  
Elijah took Julie into a small shop. Jars were everywhere on the brown shelves of wood and the brown wooden tables filled with unknown materials.  
“What’s that smell?” Julie asked, surprised by the strong smell of the shop that she couldn’t identify.  
“Henry is known to…experiment,” he said, playfully.  
“Who’s Henry? What kind of experiments?” she asked, suspiciously.  
“Elijah Mikaelson,” a male voice said. “What an unexpected surprised!” Julie saw an old bold small man behind the brown wooden counter. He had a huge smile on his round face. He was wearing a white shirt and brown used trousers that seemed too tight for him. “I thought I would never have the pleasure to see an Original vampire again. And sure hoped if I did it would be you and not you brother,” he laughed. “Who’s your pretty friend?”  
“Henry, this is Julie. Julie, this is Henry. Henry is a specialist of the supernatural. He knows a lot about witches. And elementals.”  
“You want to know about elementals?” Henry asked.  
“We want to buy everything you have on elementals,” Elijah said.  
Julie thought “everything” would be three or four items at best, after all, elementals were extinct and all that was left was her mother’s grimoire. But she was wrong.  
“Everything? Oh, Mr. Mikaelson, you know my collection is private. It’s not for sell.”  
“Please. My friend here wish to know more about elementals. Name your price.”  
Henry sighed. “I’ve been through a lot of trouble to get some of the pieces I have.”  
“I know,” Elijah said. “They are rare items only you can provide.”  
“And you also know I don’t care about money.”  
It was Elijah’s turn to sigh. “What do you want?”  
“I heard your brother’s blood was the only thing that could heal a vampire from a werewolf bite. I want some.”  
“So you can sell it?”  
“I told you, I don’t care about money. I’m sure the magic it contents will help me in my research.”  
“Research?” Julie asked.  
“Henry is looking to make himself immortal. Without becoming a vampire.”  
“Interesting,” Julie mused. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”  
“Hold on,” Elijah said. “Fine. I will get you my brother’s blood.”  
“And you will get the items when I have it.”  
“Do you see my brother anywhere?”  
“Fortunately, I don’t.”  
“I will come back with it. You have my word.”  
“And I’m sure you plan on keeping your word. You always do. But right now, I’m afraid I can’t give you what you want.”  
“It’s alright, ‘lijah.”  
“What about my blood?” Elijah asked. “It can’t heal vampires but it has magical proprieties.”  
“I might agree to that.”  
“Elijah, it’s ok, we don’t need to…”  
“It’s alright. One day we might need the result of his research.”  
“Follow me,” Henry told Elijah before he walked back in the back shop.  
“Look around. You might find interesting things,” Elijah told Julie before he followed Henry.  
The elemental nodded and watch him walk away before she started to look around. There were rocks and crystals in unusual colors and shapes. The jars were filled with liquids and other herbs. But Julie was more interested in the books that were stuffed in an old tiny wooden shelf: Legendary Creatures and Where to Find Them. The Witches and Warlocks’ Bible. Recipes for a Supernatural Life. Immortality and its Secrets. Vampires and Werewolves; Supernatural Enemies. But one book really caught Julie’s attention: Good and Evil; Two Invincible Elements. She took the old dusty book that was heavier than it looked and laid it on the counter top and opened it. The browned pages smelled like you would imagine and every time she would turn the pages it made this horrible noise that nobody liked. On the first page, in big black letters, was written “Beware of the night today.” Whatever that meant. On the next one was a very old poem that wouldn’t have made much sense to many people:  
Sisters of nature beware  
Of your cousins in masks,  
They will play with air  
And poison your casks.  
The trees they grow,  
Your house they burn,  
And with the flow,  
You will all learn,  
Some are thunder,  
Others are snow,  
And without a whisper  
You will all know  
The moon to fear  
As sure as the sun,  
Your sisters disappear,  
Tomorrow your son.  
Julie wanted to keep reading but Elijah and Henry came back in the room and interrupted her.  
“I see you find something,” Henry smiled.  
“Yes,” she nodded. “What is it exactly?” she asked.  
“Let’s see,” he mumbled as he took the book. “Ah! It’s a very fascinating book,” he said. “It is about certain types of elementals.”  
“Certain types?” she echoed, confused.  
“Yes,” he nodded. “You see, you probably know that elementals can control the primary elements. There are four of them: water, fire, nature and air. But some elementals could control ice as well as electricity. And the most feared and powerful of elementals were the ones controlling the element of darkness and the element of light,” he explained.  
“How can one control darkness and light, exactly?” Julie asked, skeptical.  
“Well, it’s not clear. But it is said that one was born with the power and it was their choice to make whether to be good or evil.”  
“So, darkness and light are actually one single element. It depends on the person who controls it?”  
“Again, young lady, it is said that, yes. Who knows?” he asked with an amused smile and a little spark in the eyes. “May I ask…why are you so interested in elementals?”  
“You cannot,” Elijah answered. “We will take what is ours now.”  
“Of course, of course,” he raised his shaking hands in the air and laughed. He was an old and nice man who probably didn’t have all his mind. “I will put all that in boxes now. Feel free to look around. And this book is for sell, if you were wondering,” he smiled at Julie before he disappeared in the back shop.  
“How did you meet this man?” Julie asked, amused.  
“A few years ago, I was looking for a way to get rid of my brother. I heard of Henry, he had, and I think still has, a certain reputation for…miracle solutions.”  
“Miracles? Isn’t he human?”  
“He’s a very smart human,” the vampire said. “Even though he is not a warlock, I think he might just find a way to make himself immortal.”  
“Well, he better find it soon,” she said which made him laugh.  
“Indeed, he is becoming more and more like a mad scientist, isn’t he?”  
“That’s not what I meant,” she chuckled.  
“Do you wish to buy this book?” he asked.  
“Yes,” she nodded. “I’ll look around a little more. It seems like we’re gonna be here for a while.”  
“His collection is now yours. It’s your legacy.”  
“I feel like I’m stealing from him. He seems like he cares about this stuff.”  
“He has no use for it. You will.”  
“What is it, exactly?”  
“Crystals and rocks. Magical artefacts and weapons that your ancestors used.”  
“And what do I need it for?”  
“You never know. You are one of the last elementals on this planet and I read in your grimoire you’re coming from a very old and powerful family. Some of these pieces might have belonged to one of your ancestors.”  
“Crystals and rocks?” she arched an eyebrow and asked with an amused smile.  
“Magical crystals and rocks.”  
“Of course. If they’re magical,” she joked and they laughed. “I’m gonna take a look around.”  
Julie payed for the book as Elijah put the couple of boxes in the car. “Beware of the night,” Henry told her as he gave her the book. She frowned but he kept smiling.  
“It was nice meeting you.”  
“If you find an elemental on your way, please, tell them to come visit me. I would love to meet such a creature.”  
Elijah had told her not to tell anybody what she was. It was too dangerous. “I’ll be sure to tell them,” she smiled. “Have a nice evening Mr. Stinson.”  
“You have a great evening too, young lady.”  
Julie got in the car and after she put her seatbelt on she looked up at Elijah and said “You really didn’t have to do this you know?”  
“I know. It’s nothing. It’s just a little blood.”  
“Do you think he’ll ever find it?”  
Elijah looked down at the small elemental on the passenger seat, the big book on her lap, her big green eyes on him, he looked at her with sad eyes and said “I really hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Might be awhile before I post the next chapter! Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!


	27. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah and Julie have to go back to Mystic Falls to get Klaus back and stop Alaric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long!  
> I'm thinking about stopping after season 3 so around chapter 30.  
> Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!

The book was very interesting. Both Elijah and Julie learnt many things. But it was also very scary. Two elements Julie might be able to control could turn her into a real monster.  
“Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine.” Elijah told her before he kissed the top of her head. But it didn’t make her feel better.  
Controlling fire, water, nature and air was becoming as easy as breathing. Getting control over electricity and ice was tricky. Darkness and light were two elements she started to believe she couldn’t control. She tried and tried again but nothing happened.  
Elijah took her everywhere. Every museum, every gallery, the most expansive shops and restaurants. After a while, they had gotten used to being alone, just the two of them. But the day Elijah was dreading finally came; his phone rang.  
“What’s wrong?” Julie asked when she saw him approach. She was on her laptop, going through apartments in Los Angeles where they had decided to settle for a while.  
“Niklaus…”  
She saw how worried he looked, she immediately closed the laptop and got up.  
“What happened?”  
“The Salvatores have him.”  
“Have him? What do you mean?”  
“My mother came back to Mystic Falls and turned Alaric Saltzman into a vampire hunter. Elena’s life has been linked to his so…”  
“If one dies the other dies too,” she nodded. “What happened to Nik?”  
“They did to him what they did my father. The Salvatores left town with him.”  
“We need to go back and find them.”  
“Are you sure?” Elijah frowned.  
“Sure?” she repeated, confused. “Of course I’m sure. Let’s go.”  
They packed as quickly as possible and got into the car and they drove back to Mystic Falls, only stopping for gas.  
When they finally arrived they were both tired but it didn’t matter. What mattered was stopping Alaric and finding Klaus. It was night when they parked in front of Elena’s house.  
“We can’t trust them,” Julie reminded him as they got out of the car.  
“I know,” he nodded, walking towards the front door.  
“I don’t like your plan.”  
“I know. You keep telling me,” he said. “Don’t worry, you’re in no danger. As I understand it, he’s only after my siblings and I.”  
“You think I’m worried about me?” she asked, loud. “I’m worried about you.”  
Elijah stopped in front of the door and looked down at his girlfriend. He gave her a small smile he wanted reassuring but she wasn’t fooled by it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been fine for a thousand years,” he reminded her.  
“If you die, I swear I’m gonna kill them all,” she told him which made him lose his smile.  
“Don’t do that,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Don’t become a monster to get revenge for me, you promise me?”  
“I’ll never promise you that,” she shook her head. “If anyone hurts you, I’ll hurt them. And I’m pretty sure you’ll do the same for me.”  
“I would,” he nodded. “But I’m already a monster. It’s too late for me.”  
Julie punched his shoulder. “How many times am I gonna have to tell you? You are no monster.”  
Elijah sighed and then smiled. “At least one more time,” he said before he kissed her forehead.  
He knocked on the door and Elena opened. She was surprised to see them. They didn’t wait for an invitation and entered the house. Elena backed away, nervous.  
“Stefan,” she called.  
Stefan came out from the kitchen and his face took a serious look when he saw the Original vampire.  
“Elijah.”  
“Hello again,” Elijah smiled.  
“We need to talk,” Julie said.  
Elena looked up at Stefan who nodded.  
“Please, come in,” she said. Elijah closed the door and followed them to the kitchen. They sat at the dinner table and started talking.  
“All we need is to take the stake away from him. Once he’s been disarmed and the weapon is in my possession, my family will scatter to the end of the Earth and Alaric will follow us.”  
“And you’ll just…run?” Stefan asked, doubtful.  
“We’ve done it before,” Elijah answered. “Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. What’s another half century while Elena’s able to live out the rest of her natural life?” Even though it broke his heart to even think about Julie running from Alaric the rest of her natural life with him, deep down, he was hoping he’ll get more than just half a century with her. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn’t let her go.  
“We finally stopped him, Elijah. After everything that he’s done to us, I can’t jut let you bring him back.”  
“It’s not like you have a choice,” Julie told her with a threatening tone.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stefan asked.  
Julie shrugged. “I’d be more than happy to burn this house to the ground with you in it if it means not only Alaric dies but also getting Nik back.”  
That’s what Elijah was afraid of. That’s why he was persuaded that she had the element of darkness in her.  
“It won’t have to come to this,” Elijah said, taking her hand to calm her. “I give you my word, Elena. I will not revive Klaus within yours, nor even within your children lifetimes.”  
“What?” Julie shouted.  
“Perhaps it’ll finally teach him so manners,” he said.  
“Are you kidding me?”  
“Why should she trust you?” Matt asked. “All you’ve done is screw her over.”  
“Oh, no,” Julie laughed. “You can’t talk to us about trust, ok?”  
“And for that, I’m deeply ashamed,” Elijah said, cutting her off. Julie rolled her eyes and sighed. “But know this, she could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight.”  
“She still can,” Julie mumbled.  
“So, Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision whether to trust me or not.”  
“Not! Hello!” Damon’s voice came front the speaker of Stefan’s phone. “Did that concussion give you brain damage? His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get if Julie doesn’t do it first!”  
“Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms if you return Klaus’s body to us, Elena will come to no harm.”  
“What about Julie?” Stefan asked.  
“I can’t talk for her but I trust if you return my brother’s body she won’t hurt any of you,” he said, looking down at her. She didn’t reply, she just shrugged. “Do we have a deal?” Elijah asked.  
“No, no, no, no! Did I mention, no?” Damon said.  
Stefan’s phone suddenly exploded.  
“As you can see, no isn’t an option,” Julie grinned.  
“Why do you want Klaus’s body?” Elena asked.  
“He’s my brother. We remain together,” he answered, squeezing Julie’s hand.  
Elena sighed. “We have a deal.”


	28. Alaric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie and Rebekah are sent to collect Klaus but Alaric is there to stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the last part.

Finding Klaus was the easy part. Stefan told Julie who was sent with Rebekah to collect him.  
“You know, if you stay with us, you’ll have to run for the rest of your life,” Rebekah told her as they were driving.  
“I know.”  
“You’re sure my brother is worth it?”  
Julie looked up at the blonde and nodded. “I’m sure.”  
Rebake smiled. “I’m glad to finally have a sister.”  
Julie smiled back. “Me too.”  
When they arrived at the storage, there were no trace of Damon.  
“Damon!” Rebekah called. “Where are you?”  
“Where is he?” Julie sighed.  
“Damon this isn't funny!”  
“This place is huge.”  
They kept walking, looking for the vampire. Suddenly, Julie was grabbed by someone and brought against a wall.  
“Shh,” Damon shush them as Rebekah was about to attack him. “He’s here,” he silently said with his lips.  
“Julie, leave, now,” Rebekah said.  
“No way,” she whispered back. “You need me here, I can help. And don’t touch me again,” she told Damon.  
“Come with me, we’ll get Klaus out, but stay silent,” he told them.  
He lead them to the storage and got the coffin. They almost made it to the car when they were stopped by Alaric. He appeared, vampire speed, in front of them. He tried to grab Rebekah but Julie managed to use the element of air to stop him. He was sent against a wall and the pressure made it so he couldn’t move.  
“Hurry, I don’t think I can hold him for long,” she told them. She had never used her power against someone as strong as Alaric and she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker.  
“I will kill you,” Alaric threatened.  
The coffin was finally in the truck and Damon was behind the wheel, ready to go.  
“Let’s go Julie!”  
Julie tried to trap him in a circle of fire but she was certain it wouldn’t last. She hurried in the car and Damon drove away as fast as he could.  
“He’ll follow us,” Julie said, out of breath and feeling exhausted.  
“He’ll follow us until he dies,” Rebekah reminded her. “Are you okay?” she asked.  
“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” she answered.  
“Julie, you’re bleeding,” the blonde told her with a worried look.  
“What?” she frowned. She brought her fingers to her nose and felt hot liquid. She looked at her fingers and they were read. “It’s just a nose bleed,” she said.  
“He’s just behind us, can’t you do something?” Damon asked.  
“What do you want me to do?” Rebekah replied.  
“I wasn’t talking to you!”  
“Uh…” Julie looked out the window to try and see Alaric but she couldn’t see anything. Her headache was getting stronger and stronger. “I…I don’t know.”  
Rebekah bit her wrist. “Here, take my blood. Maybe it’ll make you feel better.”  
Julie hesitated but drank anyway. “Thanks,” she nodded, she did feel a little better. “Can you see him?” she asked.  
“No,” Damon answered. “But I’m sure he’s clo… Damn it!”  
The car suddenly went left. Damon had turned the wheel to avoid hitting Alaric who was in the middle of the road. Julie, Damon and Rebekah got out without a scratch.  
Alaric jumped on the Original vampire and grabbed her by the hair and knocked her out. Damon tried to stop him but Alaric pushed him off against a tree. He walked his way to the back of the car, the stake in his hand, ready to kill Klaus. But as he was about to open the trunk, his hand caught on fire.  
“Back off,” Julie told him, out of breath. She was breathing heavily trying to concentrate. She knew if she failed at stopping him Klaus and Rebekah would die. “Back off,” she repeated, waving her arm, using the element of air to send him away. He let go of the stake which she picked up quickly before she went around the car to find Rebekah.  
“Wake up, Rebekah, I can’t do this alone!”  
“No, you can’t,” Alaric said.  
She turned around to see him inches from her. She squeezed the stake hard in her hand ready to do what she had to do. But it never came to that. Damon appeared behind him and snapped his neck.  
“He will be back, we need to leave, now!”  
Damon put Rebekah in the back of the car and left. Julie was on the passenger seat, the stake in hand.  
“So we have the stake now, everything didn’t exactly go as planned but the result is still the same,” she said nervous.  
“You’re one feisty thing,” Damon told her.  
“…Thanks, I guess…”  
The rest of the drive went smoothly, Rebekah woke up a few minutes before they arrived in Mystic Falls. They met as planned in the forest where Stefan, Caroline, Jeremy and Elijah were waiting for them in case Alaric had managed to follow them.  
As soon as Julie got out of the car she rushed towards Elijah.  
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried, when he saw the blood on her clothes.  
“I’m fine,” she gave him a smile she wanted reassuring.  
“We need to go, now,” Rebekah reminded them. “We have the stake and Klaus and we need to be gone before Alaric arrives.”  
“She’s right,” Elijah nodded. “Thank you for your cooperation,” he told Stefan.  
Elijah got behind the wheel and Julie sat on the passenger seat next to him. Rebekah got in the back knowing something they didn’t. She had called her brother to tell him what was happening and just like her he had no intention on running for another century. Now that their father was dead, they were free and if there was a way to kill Alaric then they would do just that. Kol was on his way to kill Elena and he was closer than his sister thought.


	29. Transition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I might keep writing it as people have asked me to.  
> It’s some kind of a transition, I don’t know if I can call it that but that’s what I’ll be calling it. So, tell me if you want me to continue writing it. Or tell me if you want me to stop there, your opinion and criticism are important to me and I’m curious to know what you think.

Julie thought it was suicidal to drive back to the Mikaelsons's manor after Rebekah told her and Elijah that Kol was on his way to kill Elena, and that in fact she was probably already dead. Sure, Alaric was dead now and there was no more danger for them in Mystic Falls. Except Damon Salvatore who won't stop until Kol is dead. Kol and probably the entire Mikaelson family.  
"I promised them that Elena won't get hurt," Elijah said, angry.  
"Don't make that face!" Rebekah replied. "I didn't kill her!"  
"You should have told me about Kol."  
Rebekah sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that now we don't have to run from Alaric for sixty years."  
"We can't kill all our problems away," Elijah said.  
"Why not?" Rebekah asked. "That's what we've been doing for a thousand years. Just because now your girlfriend might disapprove we should stop defending ourselves and let our enemies take a shot at us?"  
"Julie has nothing to do with this. I gave my word."  
Julie rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time they talked about her like she wasn't there. Of course, she was a little upset that Kol killed Elena. But she was also relieved that she didn't have to be on the run for the rest of her life.  
"So, Elena's dead," Julie said, shrugging. "It's sad, but what's gonna be sadder is when Damon goes through that door to kill us all. And let me remind you that you can't die and that he hates me. I'm not particularly eager to die just yet so if we could, please, just leave this town!"  
"Don't worry about Damon," Rebekah said. "I'll kill him if I have to."  
"So, then, Stefan is going to come after us," Elijah said.  
"Then, I'll kill him too," she shrugged.  
"Or, we could just move to Canada."  
Rebekah and Elijah turned to look at her. She was half serious.  
"Look. I get that you're not afraid of them. But Damon already tried to kill me once and now I'm pretty sure I'm on his hit list again."  
Elijah knew it was safer for her to leave town. If he really wanted to stay there was no choice but to kill Damon and Stefan.  
"Elijah," Julie said, taking his hand. "I know you'll protect me no matter what. But I don't want to live here if I have to be afraid all the time."  
Elijah sighed. "I know. What do you want me to do?" he asked. At first, she thought he wasn't really asking her. She thought he was just saying that he couldn't do anything about it. But the look in his eyes showed her that he was really asking her: should he kill Damon and Stefan or leave town?  
"No killing," she answered.  
A small smile appeared on his face as if he was relieved she chose that option.  
"Then, we're leaving."  
"I'm not going anywhere," Rebekah said. "Damon and Stefan aren't stupid enough to try and hurt us. They know if they hurt Julie we'll come at them."  
"I can't take that risk," Elijah said. "I'm leaving. You can stay here if you want."  
"Fine. But I want Klaus."  
"Klaus?" Elijah frowned. "Why?"  
"I'm not staying here alone," she told him. "Take the daggers with you. All of them. And then leave."  
Their words were echoing in the entry of the house and they were interrupted by Kol.  
"Leave?" he repeated. "Aren't we staying here? The Salvatores will retaliate, this will be fun," he grinned as he walked towards them.  
"Julie and I are leaving," Elijah said. "You're free to stay if you want."  
Kol sighed and thought about it for a while. "I seem to recall making a promise," he said with a smile. "I promised you I'd teach you magic."  
Julie smiled and nodded, grateful. "Thank you."  
"Then I want Nik," Rebekah insisted. "I'm not staying here alone."  
"No. Niklaus needs to learn from his mistakes. If we free him now, what will be his lesson?"  
"Who cares?" Rebekah said, almost shouting. "If we keep him in that box, we're no better than him."  
Elijah sighed, annoyed. He felt Julie squeeze his hand and he looked down at her. He knew she wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving Klaus dead in a coffin. "Fine," he rolled his eyes. Julie smiled and he kissed the top of her head to let her know he did it for her. "After all, you're the one who's gonna be alone with him."


	30. A Mikaelson

“It’s Rebekah,” Julie said, unlocking her phone. She was on the passenger seat of Elijah’s car, Kol was sitting right behind her.  
“Is everything okay?” Elijah asked, focused on the road.  
“Elena’s in transition.”  
Kol laughed.  
“What’s so funny?” Julie asked.  
“I’m just surprised it doesn’t surprise me,” he answered.  
“Yes,” Elijah agreed. “Indeed, Ms. Gilbert is quite the survivor.”  
“Just like Katherine,” Julie mused.  
“Have you talked to her recently?” Elijah asked.  
“We talk sometimes,” she shrugged. “She’s somewhere in Argentina.”  
“And where are we going?” Kol asked. “Because at some point we’re gonna have to stop somewhere.”  
“Somewhere sunny,” Julie answered. “Maybe…Miami. A hotel in front of the beach…”  
Kol laughed again. “I like how you think, little witch.”  
“I’m not a witch,” Julie reminded him.  
“Right,” Kol chuckled. “Sorry.”  
“So,” Julie started to say as she turned on her seat to face Kol. “What do you know about elementals? Exactly, cause…I mean obviously you know magic but…”  
“Well, first you need to remember that witches don’t like elementals.”  
“I know that. I think that’s why your mother didn’t like me.”  
Elijah frowned but nobody saw it. Kol laughed.  
“Maybe,” he said. “But you know, elementals are mostly like witches. You just…have more power.”  
“So…I could…do any spell?”  
“Yeah,” Kol nodded. “Depends on how strong you are but…I think you’re pretty tough. This should be fun,” he smiled.  
“So, you can’t help me with the elements but you could teach me magic? Basic magic?”  
“Yes, love,” Kol grinned. “I’m gonna turn you into a Mikaelson witch.”  
Julie’s heart jumped once in her heart. A Mikaelson. Was she one? What did it mean for her and Elijah? Would Elijah even be okay with that? Suddenly, she felt Elijah’s hand on hers. She looked up at him. He was focused on the road but she knew, when he intertwined his fingers with hers, that he was more than okay with her being a Mikaelson.  
Her phone rang again. Kol sighed.  
“Who is it this time?”  
Julie didn’t answer right away. “It’s Bonnie.”.  
“What does she want?” Elijah asked, alerted by her tone.  
“Nothing,” she shrugged. “She just wanted to let me know what a horrible person I am.”  
Kol laughed. “Well, you’re going to hear that often, love. Us Mikaelsons are horrible people.”  
“Kol,” Elijah warned. “You’re not a horrible person,” Elijah told Julie. “She’s just angry.”  
“I know,” she said, and she meant it. “We all say and do things for the people we love.”  
“Tell me, love,” Kol cleared his throat. “You’re not mad at me for killing your friend, are you?”  
“What friend?” Julie frowned. “Elena?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Elena’s not my friend. She’s been trying to kill you. I don’t care rather she dies or lives. She’s not better than us.”  
“I think we’re going to be good friends, you and I, love,” Kol grinned. “You’re a smart one.”  
“Killing Elena was wrong,” Elijah told his brother. “I gave my word.”  
“I didn’t,” Kol shrugged. “It was the only way to kill Alaric.”  
“He was just trying to protect us, ‘lijah,” Julie said. “Don’t be mad at him.”  
Elijah sighed. There was a time, before, when Julie would have hated someone being killed.  
“What if she didn’t have vampire blood in her system? What if you had killed her?” Elijah asked his brother.  
“That’s what I was aiming for,” Kol shrugged.  
“You protect each other,” Julie said.  
There was no way, no matter who got hurt, that she was going to lose Elijah are any of his siblings. She would do anything to protect them and she appreciated that Kol didn’t hesitate to kill Elena. It wasn’t right, she knew that. But the Mikaelsons were the only family she had and she wasn’t going to lose them.  
“I’m not going to risk you…any of you. I don’t care if Elena dies, especially when she tried to kill you, when she did kill you…” Julie stopped.  
She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Thinking about the time when Elijah was lying dead in the Salvatores’s basement always got her upset. It always made her want to burn that house to the ground, Elena and her friends with it.  
“Calm down,” Elijah said, squeezing her hand. “It’s gonna be okay.”  
Julie sighed. A small smile appeared on her face. “I know.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Elijah…”  
Elijah’s eyes opened when he heard his name coming from Julie’s lips. He was lying on his back on their bed and she was right next to him. He was used to sleeping with her, usually, she would rest her head on his chest and that’s how they always woke up, in each other’s arms.  
“Elijah…” she repeated.  
She was sleeping, probably dreaming. Elijah smiled before he brought her to him, careful not to wake her up. She sighed as he moved his hand on her back and she nested her head in the crook of his neck and he leaned to kiss her forehead.  
Julie woke up first. She didn’t move. She focused on Elijah’s breathing as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She had a very nice dream. She grinned as it came back to her. Finally, she moved. First, she looked up at Elijah. His head was tilted to the left which left his neck exposed. Then, she slowly moved and put her lips below his ear. She kissed down his next than back up and put a kiss on his cheek. She knew he was awake because he had started moving his right hand up and down her back.  
“Good morning,” he mumbled, eyes half opened.  
“Hi,” she giggled. “How did you sleep?”  
“Perfectly fine,” he sighed. “You called my name in the middle of the night.”  
“I did?” she asked, surprised. “Did I wake you?” she asked, leaning to kiss his neck again.  
“Yes,” he said.  
“I’m sorry,” she apologized between two kisses.  
Elijah smiled, amused. He put his hands on her waist and rolled over so she was lying on her back and he was on top of her. She giggled as she crossed her legs around his waist.  
“You’re in a good mood this morning,” he grinned before his lips attacked her neck. She slid her fingers in his hair and moaned when he playfully bit her earlobe. Her hands travelled down his back to his sleepwear bottoms. He knew what she wanted and he was more than happy to give to her but there was something else he urged to do and he hated it.  
“You’re hungry,” she said. She didn’t need to ask. She knew. He only drank from her blood now and he hadn’t fed in a couple of days. “We could do it again,” she said and at first, he didn’t know what she was talking about, but then he remembered. One time, he just couldn’t control himself and he bit her. He realized what he had done the second he had done it. She had cried out, surprised. Usually, he would listen to her heartbeat but at that moment her heart was already beating like crazy.  
“I’m not going to hurt you again,” he said, looking down at her, stopping every caress.  
She frowned. “You didn’t hurt me,” she said.  
“You liked it?” Elijah asked, surprised.  
“I didn’t mind it,” she said. “You liked it.” She propped herself on her elbows and kissed him. She gripped his hair with her left hand, pushing him to kiss her back.  
“I’m not doing that,” he said.  
“Why not?” she asked, leaning to kiss him again.  
He took both her wrists and held them above her head against the pillows. He looked down at her in silence, contemplating the idea.  
He wanted to do it. There was nothing like drinking blood while having sex. But she was so young and he wondered if she was only agreeing to it for him. He wondered that a lot. The many things she would do for him.  
Because she couldn’t move her arms and because, apparently, her words weren’t enough to convince him, she moved her waist up against his, tightening her legs around his waist and she grinned.  
“What are you afraid of?”  
A smile started to appear on his face. Then he laughed. “I’m not afraid of anything,” he said before he crashed his lips against hers. As his lips wandered on her skin, she whispered in his ear.  
“Then, come and claim what’s yours.”


	31. Walk On The Beach

“Now, you might be tempted to use the element of darkness as magic but remember that this element is also the element of light and that none are true magic like a witch would possess,” Kol told Julie. “So, whenever you use magic, even if it’s dark magic, you won’t be using the element of…”  
“Light and darkness,” Julie finished his sentence.  
“Right. We need to find a better name for that one.”  
“I agree,” Julie chuckled. “So, magic isn’t an element.”  
“No,” Kol shook his head. “When you’re doing a spell, you won’t be using any elements. Which means, even if you find yourself some place where you can’t use magic…”  
“I still could use my other powers.”  
Kol nodded and grinned. “Ready for the lesson of the day?”  
“Always,” Julie grinned back.  
Helped by the book they bought in Henry’s shop and Kol’s knowledge of magic, Julie learnt new spells every day. She practiced elemental magic on her own, focusing on electricity and darkness as she couldn’t use them as easily as the others.  
Weeks passed and Julie grew more and more powerful. Rebekah called every two days to let them know what was happening in Mystic Falls and to hear about Julie’s progress. When she called and talked about a cure, Kol left almost immediately, leaving Elijah and Julie alone.  
One night, they were walking on the beach just like they would do every day. Julie had a lot of questions for Elijah, most of them were concerning his past. She noticed that he didn’t like to talk much about his time in New-Orleans. It was clear that he missed this time that he spent with his family. Julie would take his hand and get closer to him, resting her head on his arm as she would look up at the stars.  
“Did you ever…thought about a cure?” she asked suddenly. “If you could be human again, would you do it?”  
He looked down at her and met her innocent gaze. Of course, he had thought about it. He had never thought about it more than since he knew her.  
“Probably,” he answered before looking up at the dark sky.  
“Why?”  
He sighed. “I don’t think I’d be able to live without you.”  
Julie’s heart skipped a beat. His words filled her heart with pure joy and she couldn’t remember a moment when she had felt happier.  
“I feel stupid,” she chuckled, nervously.  
“Why?”  
“I never thought about that.”  
“About what?”  
“That…I’d grow old and die and you’ll just…stay you.”  
Elijah looked at her with sad eyes. He doubted she would die at 80 in her bed. He knew he was putting her in danger. Now that he cared for her she was a target. Watching Kol teach her how to defend herself reassured him but he will always be worried.  
“Do elementals lose their powers when they become vampires?” she asked, suddenly.  
Those words horrified him. He dared to ever hear them. He would do anything to spend eternity with her but not at this cost. He couldn’t let her become a monster.  
“I don’t know,” he answered, looking down. “But you’re not going to become a vampire.”  
Julie frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”  
“Vampirism is a curse. I’d rather die than watch you become like me.”  
Julie was breathless. She let go of his hand and took a step back.  
“I’m sick of listening to you, Elijah! How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not a monster!” she shouted.  
“You don’t know half of the things I’ve done.”  
“I don’t care! I know who you are today. I want you, today! Not who you used to be! And I like to believe that you’ll be the same person tomorrow. Someone who protects the people he loves no matter the cost! We’ve all make mistakes. But I’d be lucky to end up being like you. People don’t call you the honorable one for nothing!”  
“Do you remember how we met? I cut someone’s head off in front of you! That is nothing compare to what I’ve done. I’ve been killing people for centuries!”  
“I don’t care!” Julie shouted, tears in her eyes and angry. “I don’t care how bad you are! I love you! I love you so, go ahead and tell me all the bad things you’ve done but that won’t stop me from loving you!”  
“Calm down,” he whispered as he took her face in his hands, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. “I love you too,” he said as she was sobbing in his arms. “But I can’t stop thinking that your life would have been safer and better if we had never met.”  
“That’s not true,” she said. “I didn’t have anyone before I met you. I was all alone. You make me happy…Is it so bad that I want to spend as much time as I can with you?”  
Elijah kissed her forehead and took a deep breath.  
“No,” he said. “I want that too.”


	32. One Step In

Julie and Elijah hadn’t said a word since their fight. They both had important things to think about and consider. Did she want to become a vampire? Did he want her to? What would happen if she did? Would Elijah ever consider taking the cure?  
Julie didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to change for her. She knew he would always stay with his family and if he ever became mortal it would be the end of “always and forever”. And there was something appealing to becoming immortal too. She was so young, the mere thought of growing old and die seemed so distant.  
They were both reading next to each other on the couch, or at least they were pretending to read, when Elijah’s phone rang.  
“It’s Rebekah,” he told her before he picked up.  
Julie watched his face fall.  
“What?” he let out in a whisper as if he hadn’t heard right the first time.  
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Julie asked, worried.  
“What do you mean, Kol is dead?”  
Julie hoped she had misheard it too. Elijah was speechless. She could see his anger and his sadness on his face. She gently took the phone from him.  
“Rebekah?” she said with a trembling voice. “What happened?”  
Elena. Again. Elena happened. Everyone did everything for her and she didn’t care if people died. She was now killing them herself.  
Everything went black as anger took over her. She couldn’t see anything or feel anything else than rage. The windows, the glasses, the mirrors, even the lightbulbs, all exploded one after the other. She wasn’t conscious of it nor could she hear Elijah calling her name.  
“Julie stop! Come back!” he yelled but he couldn’t reach her. That was it. Darkness. It was so easy to get lost. “Julie!” Finally, she gasped out of it. “Hey,” he whispered, taking her face in his hands. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m sorry,” she breathed out. “I don’t know what happened,” she cried.  
Elena was always a trigger for her. She wanted nothing more than kill her for what she did to Elijah, and now Kol.  
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.  
“It’s okay,” he said, hugging her. “It’s okay.”  
Kol was the only person qualified enough they knew to help her control it. And now he was gone.  
“She doesn’t deserve the cure,” she said. “She doesn’t.”  
“Niklaus wants her to be human again,” Elijah said. “He wants more hybrids.”  
“What are we gonna do?” she sobbed.  
“About what?” he asked, wiping the tears of her cheeks with his thumbs.  
“About Kol. He’s dead!”  
A tear fell down his cheek as he hugged her once more. He had already lost two brothers, how would he be able to convince his sister to stay immortal?


	33. One Step Further

Everything was dark.  
Kol was dead and everything was dark.  
The sun hit the black SUV that drove down the empty road. It was hot inside the car. Hot and silent.  
Elijah kept an eye on Julie as he was driving. Her cheeks stayed wet the whole time, her eyes stayed red and her mind stayed black.  
Kol was dead and everything was dark.  
All she could think about was that her friend, Elijah’s brother, her brother, was dead and she hadn’t been there for him. She hadn’t been there for her family.  
“I’m going to kill her,” she muttered at some point.  
Elijah completely forgot about the road and flicked his head towards her. She wasn’t looking at him, her gaze was lost in complete emptiness. She wasn’t looking at anything, she wasn’t seeing anything, she could only picture Elena burning and screaming, she could only picture herself making Elena burn and scream.  
She was falling and Elijah knew it and he didn’t know how to catch her. He didn’t know how to save her from the darkness.  
“You don’t mean that,” Elijah said.  
Elijah hoped.  
“I’m going to kill them all.”  
Elijah would have been furious if he hadn’t been so worried about Julie. He was grieving his baby brother, and he would have killed Elena and everyone she cared about for going after his family if it weren’t for Julie.  
He knew Kol had it coming, Rebekah had told him everything. He knew all about how Kol came after her and tried to stop them from getting to the cure, how he tried to cut Jeremy’s arms off and that’s the reason why he was in Elena’s kitchen, kitchen where he died. He knew Klaus was stuck in Elena’s living room, and he knew Rebekah had left with all of them to get the cure.  
Julie couldn’t understand why Rebekah hadn’t killed them all already. She couldn’t think straight. There was only pain and grief. And darkness.  
Elijah had to take care of Julie. He had to keep her in the light, because if she killed Elena, if she killed anyone, then she would become like him, like them, she would be lost in darkness, and he couldn’t lose her to darkness, he had lost so much to darkness already.  
He had to make her care.  
He had to make her keep her humanity.  
They were almost there, they knew it as they were able to see the sea at the end of the road. Elijah stopped the car with a sigh. He looked silently at Julie for a minute before he spoke up.  
“Is she here?” he asked.  
“Yes. She’s been waiting for half an hour,” Julie replied in a voice that didn’t sound like hers.  
They exited the car in complete silence and made their way to where they were supposed to meet her, where she was supposed to be waiting for them with a boat.  
As Julie spotted her near the only boat in the dock she felt something that resembled joy. She started to feel again, and it hurt, and she didn’t like it. And as she tried her hardest not to let the tears fall from her eyes she promised to herself that they would all pay for making her feel this way, for taking Kol away from his siblings, away from her.  
And she stepped further into the darkness.  
“Kat’,” Julie said and the vampire grinned.  
“Julie, Elijah.”  
“Katerina. Thank you for your help,” he merely said.  
“Always happy to get on Klaus’s good side,” she told him. “Though, for once, I’m not doing it for him.”


	34. Boat Ride

Julie fell asleep as soon as she sat down. Elijah hoped she would be better after she woke up, that her murderous ideas would be gone.

“We’re not killing anyone,” Elijah said for the hundredth time.

Katherine rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance. “You don’t have to kill anyone, but why ruin the fun for me?”

She was pacing in the small cabin, her arms crossed over her chest. She had never liked being on a boat.

“Julie needs to understand that killing isn’t the solution! She needs to stay good! She can’t end up like…”

“Me?” Katherine cut him off.

She arched an eyebrow and put her hand on her hip. “Or you?”

“She can’t end up like us.”

Katherine chuckled. “If you’re planning on staying with her for the rest of forever, which I know she’s planning on doing, she might need to end up like us. To live in your world, _our_ world, is to end up like us. Ever met a good vampire, Elijah?”

He stared at his former lover in silence, her words echoing in his head. She was right, and he knew it. The only way Julie could stay safe was for her to be able to defend herself, and sometimes, that meant to kill to survive. Katherine Pierce knew that more than anyone.

“She’s not ending up like us. She’s good. She’s…”

“Of course, she’s good,” Katherine cut him off again. “And she’ll stay good, deep down. Just like you,” Katherine said as she took a step forward. “The world isn’t all black or white. She’s able to do both, Elijah. She’s strong, she’s an elemental, she’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elijah mumbled. “The element of darkness is taking over her. It’s taking away her humanity.”

“If there’s one thing I know, Elijah, is that you don’t lose your humanity. You put it away in a box for a while and then you get it back. Because you can never stop feeling. I’ve never met anyone who completely stopped feeling.”

“It’s not about that,” Elijah shook his head. “Everybody feels something. The problem is what you feel. She’s angry, she’s… she wants revenge. She wants to kill, and that’s not her. That’s just…”

Elijah stopped and took a deep breath. His eyes were wet. Katherine had never seen the Original like that. He was terrified.

“She’ll be fine, Elijah. As long as she has you. As long as she can love you, you have nothing to worry about,” Katherine said. She stopped for a moment before she sighed. “But you have to know that she’s changed. Of course she’s changed. She’s adapting. Because she’s just like me. She’s a survivor.”

“She’s nothing like you,” Elijah muttered.

Katherine looked hurt for half a second before an arrogant grin appeared on her face.

“She’ll be fine,” she repeated. “Killing is nothing. Killing is necessary.”

“She doesn’t think like that! She hates it when people get hurt. She always look for another solution, she never wanted anyone to die!”

“Like I said. She’s changed.”

“I don’t want her to change!” he yelled.

They both stopped to look down at Julie who moved in her sleep but didn’t wake up.

Katherine looked back up at Elijah after a minute.

“Do you think I want her to be like me?” she asked. “I know she’s good. It’s in her nature to be good, to do the right thing, to pick the better option… And I know you’re afraid to lose her and, to be honest, I don’t want her to change either… But… Her life has changed, and it’s nobody’s fault. She thought her entire life that she was human, that her mother was human, until she met you. Until she was told that vampires exist and that she’s an elemental. She’s one of the most powerful supernatural creatures on this Earth, and she has powers she can’t control, and she doesn’t understand what’s happening to her, so yeah, right now, she’s scared and confused and she’s changed. But she’s not going to stay like that. She’s not done changing. And she’s going to be okay. Because she has you and she has me, and we’re not going to let her become like us. We won’t let her.”

The room was silent for minutes, the two vampires could only hear the wind and the waves and their own voices inside their head.

“She wants to kill Elena,” Elijah said in a quiet voice.

“Who doesn’t?” Katherine shrugged.

Elijah rolled his eyes.

“Can you blame her? Elena killed your brother.”

“Jeremy Gilbert killed my brother.”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want them all dead. Elena, Jeremy, Damon… All of them. Dead.”

“Killing isn’t the solution.”

“Since when?”

“Since always! Julie just reminded me of that.”

“No. That’s not true. Julie reminded you that killing is bad. And she’s not wrong. Killing is bad. But we are bad. We do bad things, that’s what we do! And at some point you gotta be honest with yourself, Elijah! As vampires, we’ve all killed hundreds of people, just to get some blood. But that’s not what she wants to do. Julie wants to kill Elena because she hurt you. Because she hurt someone she cared about. She’s not randomly picking innocent people she doesn’t know to shoot them in the head. She’s not doing it for fun. She’s doing it because she’s hurting. And you can’t be hurting if you don’t have your humanity, Elijah. So stop whining. She’s a big girl and she can take care of herself. Be glad that she can! She’s strong, is all. She’s not some pyscho who’s going around, murdering innocent people for the fun of it. You have to realize that. So, yeah, sure, you have to keep an eye on her, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s fine.”

“You weren’t there. You didn’t see her lose control.”

“I did see it! I was the first to see her powers in action. I know she has to learn to control them, and she will!”

“And who’s going to teach her?” Elijah yelled. “Kol is dead. Elementals are extinct! I don’t know what to do!”

“It’s not rocket science, Elijah! You’re an Original vampire, you’re one of the best people to teach her about self-control!”

“It’s not the same thing!”

“Since when have you become so weak?” Katherine suddenly asked.

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t recognize you. You’re better than this.”

“I’m scared,” he admitted. “I love her and I’m scared to lose her! You would know if you had ever loved anyone else than yourself!”

“Enough!” Katherine yelled back. “You all keep saying that I’m a selfish bitch but I wasn’t always like that! I’m over 500 years old, I had my time. I loved. I loved you and for a little minute maybe I even loved Klaus. And I loved Stefan. Maybe I still do,” she admitted. “I loved and loved and loved and look where it got me. Love doesn’t agree with me, Elijah. I wasn’t made to be loved. To be happy. I was made to be killed so that your stupid brother could break a curse. I was meant to die. But I fought back. If life was gonna be a bitch, then I’d be a bigger one. I survived. And I did what I had to do to end up where I am. And I don’t regret one single dead body.”

“Well I regret a lot of dead bodies,” Elijah admitted. “I killed hundreds of innocent people. To party, to feed, to have fun… I’m a vampire, I need blood to survive. That’s why I’m going to take that cure,” he said. “And I’ll live the rest of my life with her until we both die.”

Katherine sighed, looked down and shook her head. “That’s not going to happen, Elijah.”

“And why not?”

“Because there’s only one dose,” she said. “And I’m going to give it to Silas.”


	35. The Cure

“Is this it? This is the cure?” Jeremy asked as he stared at the small box trapped between the two hands of a frozen immortal. “How is that supposed to cure every vampire in the world?”

“I don’t think it is, Jer,” Bonnie said with a quiet voice.

Jeremy turned to look at his friend who was standing behind him. He couldn’t believe it. After all the troubles they’ve been through, they did all of this for nothing.

He turned back towards Silas and tried to get the cure, but as strong as he was, he couldn’t free the box from Silas’s hands.

“It’s stuck. Help me move it,” he said.

Bonnie did as he asked but she realized it was useless. “It’s like trying to bend stone,” she told him, defeated. “Oh my God,” she breathed out.

“What Bonnie?”

“He’s been frozen like a vampire statue for two thousand years. There’s only one way we’re gonna get this statue to unfreeze. We have to feed him our blood.”

Jeremy looked at her like she had lost her mind.

“If we want to get the cure out of his hands, we… we have to wake him up,” she said like it was the end of the world. Like it was the worst idea she ever had.

But it was the only solution to the problem.

***

“How do you know all this?” Elijah asked Katherine as he followed her inside the dark cave.

“I met one of the Fives,” she explained. “He led me here. He’s the one who told me there was only one cure. We have to give it to Silas or we will all die.”

“So, Silas is the first immortal?” Julie asked. “I thought you were,” she told Elijah.

“So did I.”

“The cure is the only thing that can kill him. He’s more powerful than anyone else we’ve ever met.”

“More powerful than Nik?” Julie asked, skeptical.

“Yes. He’s immortal _and_ he can do magic. We need to kill him. I hope you don’t have a problem with that.”

“Not at all,” Julie said. “That’s what Kol wanted.”

Elijah looked down at her, feeling guilty. Katherine was right. They had no choice but to kill Silas. Kol knew he was dangerous, he lost his life trying to stop them from getting to this island.

Katherine was right, killing is the only solution sometimes, and he couldn’t protect Julie from it. But at least, she won’t be the one killing him. At least, she’ll be safe.

“After we’re done with Silas, we need to find Rebekah and leave. I don’t want to cross paths with the Salvatores,” Elijah said.

“If I see anyone of them I’ll probably lose it,” Julie admitted, knowing very well she was in danger of losing herself in darkness. She needed to stay in the light, and it was a hard thing to do in this cold and dark place.

Suddenly Katherine and Elijah stopped, as if they had heard something.

“Little Gilbert met my new friend,” Katherine said.

“What’s happening?” Julie asked Elijah.

“It seems Jeremey Gilbert is fighting against the hunter. The witch is hurt.”

“Bonnie?” Julie asked, and Elijah nodded.

“Well, that’s where I do my part,” Katherine sighed as she turned around to face them. “Don’t I just look like Elena,” she grinned.

“You do,” Julie frowned. “It’s not a good look.”

Katherine laughed. “I know, right?” she said before she vanished.

Julie sighed. “Let’s go.”

She wrapped her arm around his neck as he lifted her off her feet.

“Close your eyes,” he said.

She nodded, then rested her head on his chest. As soon as her eyes were closed she felt the wind on her face. A few seconds later, she could hear someone scream. A few seconds after that, she was back on her feet.

The first thing she saw was Katherine holding Jeremy by the neck, feeding his blood to Silas. Then, she spotted Bonnie lying hurt on the floor.

“Julie?” the witch panted.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

Bonnie’s eyes moved to the hunter’s unconscious body in front of her.

“Don’t worry, Elijah’s gonna help you,” she said in a voice that made it doubt that she actually cared about her wellbeing.

Elijah nodded, half relieved she didn’t want to let her former friend die.

“Katherine that’s enough,” the Original vampire said as he gave his blood to the witch.

“Buzzkill,” Katherine mumbled as she let go of Jeremy who fell on the ground. She took the cure and opened the two thousand year old box and stared at it for a while.

“Don’t!” Jeremy yelled.

“Shut up,” Julie told him as she walked past him. She looked down at him and he could see pure hatred on her face. He had never seen anything more terrifying.

“Julie.”

She heard a familiar female voice call her name. She looked up at where the voice came from and saw a woman standing in front of her, at the other side of the tomb where Silas was lying.

Julie’s eyes grew bigger, and both vampires could hear her heart starting to beat faster.

The elemental couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She thought she was hallucinating, that she had lost it. That maybe, she was dead.

“Mom?” she whispered in a weak and trembling voice.

“Julie?” Elijah called as he stood up, away from the witch.

“She’s hallucinating,” Bonnie told him. “That’s what Silas do, he made me see my grandmother, but it’s not real.”

“Julie, I miss you so much.”

“Mom…”

The next second, Elijah was standing right behind her. He put his hands on her waist, trying to get her attention.

“It’s not real,” he told her.

“Julie, don’t do this. Silas can bring me back. We can be together again.”

“You’re dead,” Julie breathed out as a tear fell down her cheek.

“Yes, but Silas can bring me back. He rewards the people who help him.”

“It’s not real,” Elijah repeated as he took her face in his hands. “It’s not real,” he said as he wiped the tears off her cheeks.

She locked her eyes in his and took a deep breath. She knew it wasn’t real, she knew she was hallucinating.

“I know,” she nodded. “I know.”

She turned around towards Katherine and ran a hand through her hair.

“Do it. Now.”

The vampire nodded. She broke the box and shoved the cure through Silas’s throat.

“No!” Jeremy yelled.

“Get me out of here,” she whispered as she buried her face in Elijah’s chest.

“I’ll find your sister,” Katherine said. “See you on the boat.”

“Heal him,” Elijah ordered her.

Katherine rolled her eyes and sighed before she bit her wrist.

Elijah brought Julie into his arms before he vanished.

“Get away from me,” Jeremy growled as Katherine crouched down to give him her blood.

“Don’t be such a baby.”

“Take it, Jer,” Bonnie said as she made her way to him.

“How did you get here anyway?” Jeremy asked the doppelganger.

“What makes you think I’m gonna tell you anything?”

“We needed that cure,” Bonnie said.

Katherine looked up at the witch and scoffed.

“And I thought I was the selfish one.”


	36. The end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why I stopped this fic

Hey guys!

So, yeah, this is the end of The Immortals,

I am just not happy with this fic anymore

Thank you so much for reading, though, sorry to let you down like this.


End file.
